On Wednesday morning, Craig wrote about Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes sending his prize-winning hog -- which he bought for $7,000 on Sunday -- to the butcher. That decision, unsurprisingly, has drawn the ire of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), an animal rights organization, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Their statement:“Yoenis Cespedes can afford $7,000 out of his own pocket, and this loving, loyal and clever pig is paying the real price with his life,” said the statement from PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange. “It’s a shame that Cespedes dropped the ball here and missed the opportunity to send this pig to a sanctuary, where he could have lived out his days in peace.
“We’re sending Cespedes some delicious vegan bacon in the hope that he’ll open his heart, not clog it with pig fat.”
Puma notes that a Mets spokesperson cited a Florida law which said that a hog bought at an auction must be slaughtered. However, an Indian River County Community Development official in Vero Beach said that no such law exists. As long as Cespedes kept his hog on his ranch in Vero Beach, the butcher wouldn’t come calling.