The owner of Molly, the potbelly pig who was killed and eaten soon after she was adopted from the Cowichan & District branch of the SPCA, said he’s sorry.
Global News reported on Feb. 25 that the Vancouver Island resident, who goes by “Austin Manson Forget”, took to Facebook in a now deleted posting stating that he did not adopt Molly with the intention of killing her.
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“It was only when she became aggressive with my partners [sic] dog and had tried breaking through our glass door that I made the decision to have her put down,” he said.
“I understand and invite people to have their own opinions on the matter, but please understand that I am still human. I realize that what I did was wrong, and I cannot fix it, I can only continue to apologize.”
Austin said that since the story went public, he and his partner have faced a number of death threats.
RELATED STORY: ADOPTED PIG KILLED FOR FOOD
He said he believes the fact that he faces no charges for eating Molly is what’s fueling people’s anger.
“I have owned animals throughout my entire life and I have never considered taking any of my pets’ lives,” he said.
“They have all lived healthy and happy lives. I am a huge advocate for standing up against animal abuse. If I could do more, I would, however I am a young adult and I feel that I’m trying to the best of my ability to right my wrongs. If I could pay a fine to make people feel better I would, and I feel like the fact that I was not charged is where a lot of the anger is coming from.”
Molly, a three-year-old Vietnamese potbelly pig, was one of 57 pot-bellied pigs that ended up in the SPCA’s care in May, 2017, after the owner determined he was no longer able to care for them.
Most were successfully adopted out locally, and some were sent to other SPCA branches.
As part of the adoption agreement, Molly’s new owners had agreed not to use the pig for food.
But there is little the SPCA can do in regards to enforcing this part of the agreement.
An official with BC SPCA said last week that because animals are considered property under the law, once an adoption agreement is made, that person is the full legal owner of that animal and the SPCA loses all legal rights to the animal.
The BC SPCA did send constables to the property to investigate the matter and concluded Molly was killed humanely, but Austin is never allowed to adopt again from the SPCA.
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