A baby pig who was rescued after being thrown around like a football near a Mardi Gras event in Louisiana has found a permanent home, after he was formally adopted by a state lawmaker.
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser (R) “pardoned” the piglet, named Earl “Piglet” Long, at a ceremony Wednesday in front of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge celebrating his adoption by state Rep. Lauren Ventrella (R).
Nungesser said Earl — whose name is a reference to that of a former Louisiana governor — would have the freedom to live out his life without fear of being thrown around — or cooked in a dish of jambalaya or boudin “in someone’s kitchen.”
Earlier this month, an unnamed bystander noticed three men throwing around what looked like a mini-football near a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, according to Jeff Dorson, the Humane Society of Louisiana’s executive director. The bystander walked closer and noticed that it was in fact a terrified, squealing piglet.
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The bystander asked for, and was granted custody of, the piglet, Dorson said in a social media post. The person then “delivered the frightened pig to a friend,” who handed it to the Humane Society.
Participants at Mardi Gras events don costumes, sing, dance and throw around stuffed animals or flowers — but tossing live animals is “questionable behavior,” Dorson said.
Ventrella, the state lawmaker who adopted Earl, owns and runs a private farm sanctuary, according to the Human Society.
“As a Republican, sometimes we like to cut the pork,” Ventrella was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, in reference to the party’s reputation for conservative fiscal spending. “But, I will tell you this is the pork we won’t be cutting.”
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