Baby pig that was tossed like a football is adopted and pardoned at Louisiana Capitol

Associated Press
·2 min read
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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A baby pig that was rescued after being tossed like a football near a Mardi Gras event in New Orleans was “pardoned” Wednesday and has found a permanent home with a Louisiana lawmaker.

The weeks-old little pink critter — dubbed Earl “Piglet” Long, a play on the name of the former 45th governor of Louisiana — was ceremoniously pardoned by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser on the Louisiana Capitol steps.

“He will live out his life without any threat of being thrown like a football or being part of jambalaya or boudin in someone’s kitchen here in Louisiana,” Nungesser said referring to two popular dishes that contain sausage.

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While beads, stuffed animals and hand-decorated souvenirs are frequently catapulted through the air during Carnival Season in Louisiana, pigs are not among those items.

The piglet’s journey to a new home began earlier this month when a bystander noticed men in a park, not far from a Mardi Gras parade, throwing “what appeared to be a mini-football” to one another and laughing, according to the Humane Society of Louisiana.

  • In this image taken from video, Louisiana state Rep. Lauren Ventrella, who adopted the piglet dubbed Earl “Piglet” Long, smiles alongside Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. The baby pig, who was rescued after being tossed like a football near a Mardi Gras event in New Orleans, was “pardoned” Wednesday and has found a permanent home with the Louisiana lawmaker (AP Photo/Sara Cline)
  • In this image taken from video, a piglet dubbed Earl “Piglet” Long, is shown Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. The baby pig, who was rescued after being tossed like a football near a Mardi Gras event in New Orleans, was “pardoned” Wednesday and has found a permanent home with Louisiana state Rep. Lauren Ventrella. (AP Photo/Sara Cline)
    In this image taken from video, a piglet dubbed Earl “Piglet” Long, is shown Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. The baby pig, who was rescued after being tossed like a football near a Mardi Gras event in New Orleans, was “pardoned” Wednesday and has found a permanent home with Louisiana state Rep. Lauren Ventrella. (AP Photo/Sara Cline)

As the bystander approached they could hear squealing and realized the object flying through the air was a baby pig. The bystander approached the men and asked for custody of the terrified animal.

“The rowdiness, endless parades, and party-like atmosphere often lend themselves to questionable behavior — like how three grown men behaved a few days ago,” the Humane Society said in a social media post.

The piglet, who is expected to grow to be 80 pounds (36 kilograms), has since been adopted by state Rep. Lauren Ventrella and will live on a farm in the Capitol region.

“As a Republican, sometimes we like to cut the pork,” Ventrella said, alluding to the GOP’s reputed conservative approach to fiscal spending. “But, I will tell you this is the pork we won’t be cutting.”

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