Owner of Eli the pot-bellied pig vows to fight to keep pet
Family says county told them pig would be allowed
While the fate of Eli the pot-bellied pig remains uncertain, his owner says she’s not done fighting to keep her pet at home.
Now, the county says if Eli is not voluntarily relocated, it will move forward with its application to the Court of Queen's Bench for an Order requiring the pig to be forcibly removed.
“There was some disappointment,” Kropp told CBC’s Mark Connolly on Wednesday. “We have not decided what we’re going to do. We have, of course, the democratic process of appealing to a court.”
Hear Michelle Kropp's interview on Edmonton AM
On mobile? Listen to the interview here
And Kropp says she does still have some hope for empathy in her case, particularly if it reaches a court where the law itself can be debated -- something that she could not do in court this week.
“In my hopes and dreams … the county comes around like Strathmore County Council did just last week and says ‘you know, we do have to revisit these bylaws.’”
Family did not mean to break the law, says owner
Kropp, who has been fighting for months to keep Eli in her family’s home, says the situation has been hard for the whole family -- but particularly for her two children.
“They’re heartbroken. They’re devastated. They don’t understand -- I don’t understand, so the logic of trying to explain to them is difficult.”
What’s making the situation worse, she says, is that the family was originally given permission to keep Eli at their home.
“Strathcona County did give us permission, and it was great to be able to recognize that in court through documentation and through emails from their county employees that we were given permission to have Eli live in Sherwood Park. And that’s, to me and for those out there that may or may not agree with this, it does hinge on the fact that we’re not purposeful lawbreakers.”
The permission was later retracted, however.
Eli the pig is now four years old and weighs about 60 pounds. Kropp says he spends most of his time in the family home.
“He is full grown at this particular size … personality-wise … he runs around in the morning and kinda hypes everybody up,” she said.
“Generally, a pretty peaceful little guy. He likes to bask in the sun and around the house and is rather lazy.”
Months into her fight to keep Eli around, Kropp says the support she is receiving is “overwhelming.”