The annual calendar contest usually features furry fluffies, said Humane Society Executive Director Niki Tudge.
“I can’t recall ever having a pig nominated before. His plight apparently resonates with people,” she said.
The story of the pig living in a pocket park in the suburban “Cove” neighborhood of Panama City, Fla. began sizzling in January when neighbors alternately expressed delight at his sight or disgust at his truffling in their gardens. Some of his fans created a page for updates on him on Facebook, but he made world news when, after being shot with four tranquilizer darts and tasered by a police officer, he disappeared from the pocket park where officials had been trying to trap him since February.
This prompted perturbed posters on Facebook to wonder, “Is the pig a symbol of our desire to live free of government controls?” and espouse, “What we need in this country are fewer greedy Wall Street pigs, and more spirited Libertarian pigs!”
The New York Times published the porcine plight last week, and it was immediately picked up by wire services and featured in publications throughout the U.S. Then the (London) Daily Telegraph, a newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom, published a story late Monday, propelling the pig to international fame. Since, the pig’s Facebook fan base has grown from 145 members to nearly 600 with posters hailing from Australia to Arizona. “Cove Pig” tee shirts have gone on sale, and one of the local radio stations has created a “Pig Watch,” where concerned followers of the saga can chime in with sitings.
The Humane Society of Bay County has promised to re-home the swine in a safe environment — local attorney Allen Jelks has promised the pig a poke on his 90-acre farm in Ebro.
To visit the Humane Society of Bay County’s Calendar Friends contest, visit www.adoptme.org. The pig’s photo submissions are numbers 227 and 233. Voting concludes Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Humane Society of Bay County’s “Hawgs for Dawgs” Charity Poker Run.
