December 3, 2011
From ChicagoTribune.com
HOMER GLEN, Ill.—
Authorities in the Chicago area are investigating the shooting of a
Vietnamese pot-bellied pig that its owner suspects was committed by an
illegal hunter hoping to make the animal a holiday meal.
Sweetie was shot in the neck the day before Thanksgiving. The
65-pound, 14-month-old pig managed her way back to owner Laura Konow's
property in Homer Glen, near Chicago.
With help, Konow loaded her pet into a pickup truck and hustled her
to a veterinarian, who stitched up the wound.
"I would say someone wanted to have her for Thanksgiving dinner even
though she's not that kind of a pig," Konow said. "It wasn't an accident
(by a deer
hunter) -- my pig doesn't have antlers."
No arrests have been made. Will County sheriff's deputies are
handling the case.
Konow said Sweetie is normally an "inside pig" but was in a cornfield
nibbling the day she was shot. A neighbor allows hunting there, she
said.
The hunter apparently aimed for Sweetie's head, given that the slug
entered just behind an ear and went through the fatty part of the pig's
neck, Konow said. The shooting left a silver dollar-sized hole that the
veterinarian was able to stitch during a surgery that cost Konow $600.
Sweetie has quite a following, with neighbors such as Sheri Greci
enjoying seeing the porker parade around and at times eating pears that
have fallen from a tree in the area.
"My daughter loves pigs. It's so cute," Greci said. "When it sees
people, it runs."
Many locals aren't happy about hunting in the area, insisting that it
contradicts the village's motto to live harmonious with nature.
For now, Sweetie is laying low and on the mend, Konow said.
"I want to give her time to heal," she said. "She knows something
happened to her. She's afraid."
