While animal shelters strive to improve the quality of life for abused, lost or abandoned animals, one couple saw an opportunity to take a life, instead. In mid-January, workers at an SPCA animal shelter in Canada said their goodbyes to a Vietnamese potbellied pig named Molly under the false pretenses that she would be going to a loving home. Instead, shelter workers were horrified to discover that the Vancouver Island couple who had adopted Molly had slaughtered and eaten her.
Just weeks after Molly’s adoption, a local woman learned via social media that the couple had killed Molly, apparently because they found training and caring for the animal more work than they had first assumed. Leon Davis, an employee of the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has since noted that the shelter would gladly have taken Molly back into their care had they known the couple was struggling.
Davis had nursed Molly back to health after she, along with 57 other pigs, were the subject of a cruelty investigation followed by a rescue operation. With hopes of giving Molly a kind and fulfilling life following a harrowing past of fear and neglect, workers at the shelter were left heartbroken after hearing of Molly’s death.
“First reaction I’d say was shock. Heartbreak,” says Davis, “You know, all the animals that come through our care or branches we get attached to.”
BC SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk states that “the adopter gave assurances, verbally and in writing, that their intent was to keep the animal as a pet… Unfortunately, it is a rare instance where an adopter blatantly lied.”
Despite having signed an official contract stating they would not use the pig for food, law enforcement has deemed Molly’s death as ‘humane’, leaving the shelter unable to take legal action against the couple. While the breach of contract isn’t a criminal offense, the couple has been banned from adopting any animals in the future.
Chortyk reminds us that “it’s not illegal to kill your own animal in Canada.” In doing so she addresses the harsh reality of their being next to no legal protection for animals, leaving them vulnerable to abuse, neglect and even death.
While potbellied pigs can make wonderful pets, they are a big commitment, needing a great deal of attention and lots of outdoor space. According to The Pig Placement Network, pigs become easily attached to human families and can grow depressed when abandoned. For this reason, the RSPCA urges those considering taking in a pig to make sure they understand the commitment ahead of them and are certain they can provide the necessary level of care before adoption.
They need to do something about that laws that is horrible to be able to kill
a animal you’re suppose to LOVE!!!! Punish them severely!!!
They should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. How horrible for Molly who thought she was going to a good home. RIP little one.
Rotten, horrible people!! Just disgusting, prosecute them now!!!!! So sad!!
HORRIBLE
That’s one of the most sickening things I’ve ever heard. These shites should be sued for every penny they’ve got. I hope their lives are made a misery.
These aren’t human….they are cancerous mutants and should be surgically removed from the human race.
This is disgraceful and the couple should be prosecuted. How cruel can people be. This is beyond belief.
Ik vind dat deze monsters van mensen, wel vervolgd moeten worden!…ze hebben toch getekend!…karma voor ze!!!!
Well put. X I totally agree with you x
In England when you get an animal from a rescue organisation you sign to say the animal is fostered.
The form you sign states the animal belongs to the rescue, and if you need to re home at any time you must return the animal to the shelter.
Legal action could have been taken for Molly if the system was the same in Canada.
I hope the people that did this to Molly get punished in another way.
Scum !!!
These people adopted this pig under false pretenses. To violate such a contract should be made a felony or the equivalent thereof. Normal loving people would have formed a bond with this animal even before taking her home, and would have wanted to return her to the adoption facility. It is normally written into adoption contracts that in the event in adopter cannot keep an animal, that they will return said animal to the adoption facility. If indeed the adopters could not handle Molly, they would have returned her to the adoption Agency as stipulated in the agreement. It’s clear that they adopted Molly with the intent of butchering her: the cost of her adoption fee must have been less then the cost hof purchasing a pig for slaughter. Adoption facilities need to charge high enough adoption fees to deter such people. A home check should be done to see where the pig would have Lived- that may have revealed that’s something was not in order at that home- it may have been a farm situation we’re animals were butchered regularly (no place for a pet pig). Canadian laws should be adjusted so that such people suffer consequences. And those horrible people were caught posted their crime and inhumane act on Facebook. Thankfully some people are caught that way. On a better note, Here is a true story from possibly, 2008-9, of a pet pig that was rescued in time. In Port Jefferson, New York, an acquaintance of mine had a wealthy elderly neighbor who had a lovable potbellied pig who was allowed loose on their property. They also had a caretaker who came and commuted from, a poorer urban City in Long Island. One day this piggy disappeared. The owner and her maid checked if Wilbur was visiting at one of the neighbors homes. This was in and exclusive neighborhood and fortunately for Wilbur, the property had camera surveillance. Immediately the cameras were checked and the caretaker was seen abducting the pig. Police were called: soon after they arrived at the caretakers Home- Just in time before he was about to butcher Wilbur the pig. So Wilbur was saved just in time and the caretaker went to jail, at least for a while. Surveillance cameras are always good to have on one’s property. However after this, the elderly Woman who owned Wilbur, was afraid and thought Wilbur would be safer living with her adult son. So Wilbur went to live happily with her son in another Town, and would visit her sometimes.
They should be be punished severely. This poor thing went from being happy and free to these monsters killing and eating. This is absolutely disgusting you deserve to rot in hell.
They have to be punished!!!!
This is wrong wrong wrong!!!
I can’t believe anyone would go to this length to obtain a animal with this in mind.
Disgusting
Canada wake up and upgrade your laws, this kind of cruelty is totally inexcusable. Animals deserve better and people who abuse and torture them should be severely punished.
So killing the animal “humanely” invalidates the legal document you signed promising NOT to kill and eat your adopted pet? Seems to me the so-called law enforcement need their heads tested. A competent legal mind should be able to get justice for piggy. I hope the shelter will investigate this.
Definitely name and shame. This is disgusting. I feel for the rescue centre as well as for the poor animal.
They should be named and shamed on social media, let the Internet community judge them!
Traitors
Canada update your animal welfare laws and enforce them! May the people that did this be held accountable for this disgusting act
I agree with you.
I absolutely agree with you .
Disgusting! – How can you even eat meat?
Just how can you eat your pet? They are in company with Korea. What slime. They knew what they were going to do. To befriend a loving animal kill and eat them is beyond my comprehension. They disgust me.
How terribly sad – unfortunately when you advertise your unwanted pets online or on Gumtree etc you never know where they end up as many unscupulous people pose as potential re-homers and then abuse or neglect the animals using them as bait in dog fighting rings – A PET IS FOR LIFE BUT IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO, TAKE YOUR UNWANTED PETS TO A REPUTABLE RE-HOMING SHELTER BUT BE PREPARED THEY MAY BE EUTHANISED!
What do you expect in a country that supports smashing the skulls of untold thousands of baby seals!
That couple should b put in jail!! Poor Molly, she was the cutest pig!! Now she rests in heaven!!!
Absolutely disgusted!
This is wrong. The couple should go to jail. Molly suffered so much, as all pigs, cows, chickens and other animals do; and just when she had a chance for a good home, they had to go and kill her for lousy pieces of bacon. Does it ever end ? The couple betrayed Molly trust. I wish God would put wings on all animals that are torture/going to be torture and killed so that they would go straight to heaven to Jesus’s home that is filled with Love. Pigs have more love towards a human being then humans beings towards a pig – even after how they were treated badly by humans – and we are considered the more intelligent and feeling animal species ( I do not think so) ? So sad for you Molly. Love you !
Spero che crepino di cancro intestinale metastatizzato. Non mi sento di essere più dolce. Cestinate pure questo mio commento. Mi avete chiesto che cosa ne penso e l’ho detto
How heartbreaking! Poor Molly! And how morally abhorrent of these individuals to manipulate the animal system in such away. Yet responsibility also lies with an outdated Canadian legal system which allows and seemingly condones such actions of animal abuse and cruetly by not redresssing it’s laws. And poor Molly is abused and tortured without recourse.
Canada`s laws are slack and need updating. There is no justice here only deictful people who got away with a crime. Shame on that heartless couple, Shame!
Oh they get it. They just don’t care!
Print the name and address of the shit heads who did this and let the public have at them!
Go vegan ? animlas do not diserve to suffer they diserve freedom and to live in a care free world
This isn’t right the slaughter process is scary and barbaric
Please try and stop these horrible acts
Anyone who assault or kill animals may have a serious disease with a long pathway.
Right on
Name them. They should be banned from ever adopting or even owning another animal.
Should be a register that rescue centres can check to see if people are banned and people like these need adding to it.
I’m heartbroken to hear Molly has died! What deceitful people would murder their pet and then eat it! I hope that they would be punished so that future adopters would think twice about abusing pets they have adopted!
Hell-beings abound; may they come to see how hideously depraved they are … om mani padme hum for the poor living being they murdered, in cold blood, for their own useless lives.
Me, I fear you are correct. They fully intended to slaughter Molly for a meager adoption fee. I wish them to not be able to sleep for a long, long time, for lying to get Molly only to kill and eat her. Poor Molly thought she was being adopted into a good home, only to lose her life. I wish the worse fate on her adopters.
It sounds like Canada needs to get with the times. Our animals mean as much as us as our kids. They are a part of the family too. They are a member of my family.
What needs to be done to update the laws in Canada? Surely people will not put up with this kind of stuff.
Canada needs to update its animal abuse laws. I too think that it was their intention all along to slaughter and eat this poor baby. The shelter and Molly had every expectation that she would have a second and live a better life. ???
Canada needs to update our animal abuse laws. In the meantime, I hope someone with a conscience and this couple’s address acquired a hankering for long pig. It would be only just.
There has to be some form of punishment.
Idiot humans will continue to do this evil act.
I stand by you
I doubt they ate her because they found themselves unable to care for her any longer. They were actually just smart enough to realize that they could buy a hog for only the adoption fee, and then slaughter it for food….saving big bucks on what they would have spent to buy that pig meat from the grocery store or even to have bought the pig from a farmer. They knew exactly what they were doing. Expect to see more and more people doing this once they’ve read this article…
BC needs to update their laws about animal abuse. It might not be illegal to kill your own animals there – humanly or not – but it sure is morally questionable. Molly was ADOPTED from a shelter, where it is a reasonable assumption she would stay a pet, and not someone’s dinner. If this agreement was not followed, law enforcement should have recourse.
Messed up all the way around.
When will be a law through which the criminal will be punished in the same way he kills the victim , this horror , may be will stop
How tragic for Molly. Instead of a second chance in life she is killed and the SPCA lied to. I am sorry that this couple does not get it that these animals are rescued and rehabilitated so they can have a happy and safe forever home.
Wow that’s sick! What did you say?