Mike Downey considers his two pot-bellied pigs to be part of the family.
“I got my big boy and big girl and I love them to bits,” said Downey of his two pigs, Athena and Vishnu. “They’re my kids.”
The City of Victoria thinks otherwise, saying Downey’s swine are not pets, but farm animals and he must get rid of them.
“The bylaw states that pigs of all sorts…are considered an agriculture animal,” he said.
Despite spending nearly $2,000 to clear the pigs with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Downey has learned they’re prohibited within city limits.
The pigs went unnoticed until a neighbour complained about the smell, forcing officials to take action.
“To be in compliance of the bylaw, the person would have to not have the pigs on his property,” said Victoria councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe.
Downey is fighting back, posting videos to his Facebook page and launching an online petition, which has gotten support from around the world.
The City has given Downey until Wednesday to relocate the animals, but he says he doesn’t want to move and most people in his neighbourhood like the pigs.
Downey’s case isn’t unique and past precedents appear to be on his side.
“There have been other situations with pot-bellied pigs where they’ve been allowed to stay because they were considered pets rather than food,” said Anna Pippus of Animal Justice.
“We’re assisting him by reaching out to the City of Victoria,” she said. “We hope that they’ll be sympathetic to the situation and that they’ll allow the pigs to stay with Mr. Downey.”
-With files from Kylie Stanton
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