The owner of the potbelly pig Molly, who was killed and eaten by her owners after being adopted from the BC SPCA in January, has now taken to Facebook to explain his actions.
The Vancouver Island resident, who goes by “Austin Manson Forget” on Facebook, started off by saying he would like to apologize.
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The story of Molly, a three-year-old Vietnamese potbelly pig, gained international attention when it was discovered that her owners killed and ate her less than a month after adopting her.
Molly came to the SPCA’s Cowichan & District branch as part of a cruelty investigation. She was taken care of and nursed back to health by the staff and was finally adopted by a couple in Duncan, B.C. on Jan. 19.
She was killed on Feb. 16.
On Facebook, Austin says he understands that he will not be able to completely make up for what he has done, “but I do promise that Molly died humanely and it was not done for fun or for sport.”
“I promise that I did not adopt Molly with the intention of killing her, it was only when she became aggressive with my partners dog and had tried breaking through our glass door that I made the decision to have her put down. I understand and invite people to have their own opinions on the matter, but please understand that I am still human. I realize that what I did was wrong, and I cannot fix it, I can only continue to apologize.”
Molly’s story angered many people, especially when it was discovered her owners were not going to face any charges.
Brandee McKee, who lives on Vancouver Island and also owns a pet pig, discovered what happened to Molly through friends and word spreading online.
She spoke to Global News last week about the story.
LISTEN: The woman who discovered what happened to Molly the pig:
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However, the BC SPCA says that is not necessarily the case.
“Because animals are considered property under the law, once an adoption agreement is made, that person is the full legal owner of that animal, whether it’s a dog, or a cat, or a pig or whatever so the minute the adoption is signed we lose all legal rights to that animal,” explained Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA. “The new person has all legal rights to that animal.
“The reality is, it’s not illegal to kill your own animal in Canada. Someone can take a gun and shoot their dog in the head and as long as the dog dies instantly, unfortunately there’s no law against that.”
Austin said that since Molly’s story came to light, he and his partner have faced many death threats.
“If I could pay a fine to make people feel better I would, and I feel like the fact that I was not charged is where a lot of the anger is coming from,” he said.
“I have owned animals throughout my entire life and I have never considered taking any of my pets’ lives, they have all lived healthy and happy lives. I am a huge advocate for standing up against animal abuse. If I could do more, I would, however I am a young adult and I feel that I’m trying to the best of my ability to right my wrongs.”
WATCH: Adopted SPCA pet pig ends up on dinner plate
He went on to address the fact that videos and photos of him seasoning and preparing Molly’s meat ended up on Snapchat, and he said he knows that was insensitive and inappropriate.
“I should have taken the time to formulate a more mature answer to the comments that were posted,” he wrote.
Chortyk told Global News last week that SPCA constables went to the farm where Molly was living and did ascertain the animal was killed humanely.
“Unless an animal is left to suffer, there’s absolutely no laws whatsoever that would allow us to do anything,” she said. “So it’s not that we wouldn’t do anything necessarily, it’s that there’s no route.”
Austin finishes his post by saying “I am sorry for all of this.”