Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
Marcela Iglesias, from Agoura Hills, California, threw a fifth birthday party for her 18 stone (250lb) pampered pet pig that survived California’s deadliest wildfires.
Marcela Iglesias bought chunky Chuy a birthday cake, custom-made coat and Gucci glasses. Chuy’s birthday celebration has gone viral on social media with more than 11,000 views and a range of comments from shock and disbelief to admiration.
She chose him at a farm sale five-years-ago, believing he was a ‘mini-pig’ despite being the biggest of the litter. But the beliefs turned out to be false, when the podgy potbelly quadrupled in size within six months and has never stopped growing until now.
It was feared he would die as he refused to leave the house during the California wildfire last month, which killed 86 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures
Unable to leave their piggy pal behind, the family-of-four stayed watching the flames draw even closer to their home, getting within 200 metres.
Surviving the blaze declared the deadliest on record, made celebrating Chuy’s birthday more necessary than ever for Marcela.
“We were especially happy to celebrate his birthday as my house was almost burned down in the wildfires.”Marcela Iglesias, Pet Owner
“When fire came closer to the back of my house, we put our two smaller pigs in the car, but it was too hard to lift Chuy. We tried to push him but he’s heavy and when he doesn’t want to be picked up we can’t do it, he makes it’s even harder by constantly trying to run away. When firemen came and saw his size, they told us they couldn’t help, so I didn’t leave my home. I couldn’t bare to leave him alone in the house but he was too big to carry and we didn’t have a trailer. It was a birthday to celebrate being safe and alive as a lot of people lost animals who were left behind.” said Marcela.
Marcela admits that she spends at least $1,000 (£800) a year pampering the pig from get pedicures to clothing, sunglasses and more.
Since the video was posted last month (27 November), there has been a mixture of responses from offensive comments to those enamoured by the pet pig.
Marcela said, “For me, my pigs are family, they are like my dogs or bunnies, we are all equal and the same, a lot of people are not used to seeing that behaviour. They don’t understand that pigs can be better behaved than dogs, they are very smart and we only see them in a certain way because of society’s teachings.”
Marcela hopes sharing Chuy’s adventures online will help to encourage people to build more of a connection with animals.
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