Family looking for answers after pet pig killed near Mayerthorpe; no suspects

Tex Schar is mourning the loss of his pet pot belly pig, Earl, after it was shot and killed on his property near Mayerthorpe, Alberta. He and his wife had the pig for about five years.

“He was very personable, every morning he would get up on the front deck. When you drive home, he would come up right to your vehicle, come for a pet or maybe for a treat,” Schar said.

“He was our friend.”

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Late November, his wife heard a gun shot but didn’t see what happened. It wasn’t until Schar returned home that he noticed his 100 pound free range pig, didn’t come out to greet him.

“I checked his pen, he wasn’t in there,” Schar said. “I started looking around the yard, I couldn’t see him. I went out to the field and that’s when I saw the blood stains.”

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Schar thinks someone pulled onto his property, shot Earl about 60 yards from his house and took his body. It’s illegal to hunt on private property without permission or to discharge a firearm within 200 yards of occupied buildings.

There used to be a bounty on wild boars in the area and hunters could get money per set of ears. Earl’s remains were found about five kilometers away from Schar’s property, and his ears were cut off.

“It’s possible that an individual mistook the black pot belly pig to be a wild boar, because there are surrounding municipalities that do have a bounty on wild boars,” RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Deanna Fontaine said.

READ MORE: Pet pig adopted from BC SPCA killed and eaten by new owners

RCMP received a tip from the public that there was a blue truck parked on Schar’s property.  There are still no suspects and anyone with any information is asked to come forward.

“I think the worst part was going to identify the body, because it all started to sink in, ‘Oh, there’s our friend out there,'” Schar said.

“I would be nice if someone would come forward and admit they were wrong, just so we don’t think it’s just a random act of violence.”

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“We just want justice for Earl.”