The Door County, Wisconsin, sheriff is defending deputies after they dispatched a 300-pound pig that was potentially endangering motorists.
“As many of you may be aware, the Door County Sheriff’s Office had asked for our community’s help in capturing a loose pig, and identifying its owner,” Sheriff Tammy Sternard wrote on Facebook. “We were concerned because the approximately 300-lb. pig had been walking into traffic on two of our major highways and previous attempts to capture it were unsuccessful.”
On September 20, 2024, at about 6:45 p.m. Door County Sheriff’s deputies “were dispatched to a 911 call from a motorist reporting the pig was again in the roadway on highway 42 in the southern part of the county,” she wrote. “Upon their arrival they encountered the pig in the roadway and started to enter the ditch. Because of its proximity to the highway, and the potential danger the large, loose pig posed to motorists and others on the roadway, a Door County Sheriff’s Deputy dispatched the pig.”
The pig shooting has riled some people, including the Kaukauna-based “Saving Snouts” Facebook page, which posted a lengthy rant demanding “Justice for Jewel.” The author wrote that, instead of hanging out with Jewel, instead they would have to “kiss her snout one last time.” The author claimed they had a search effort underway for the pig that included a drone, dog, and trap.
Video posted in the post’s comment thread shows the deputy with a gun shooting the pig in a ditch, although the shooting occurs off-camera. The woman filming then starts crying. The post says the pig’s owner thought the deputy was going to tranquilize the animal.
“What? What are you doing. Don’t kill her,” the woman said.
“She’s in the highway ma’am. Ma’am, I apologize. She was standing in the road. This is not what I wanted, okay?”
The Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook posts have filled up with people blasting and defending the deputy.
Sternard added: “We appreciate the community’s concern about this incident. We place a high priority on maintaining a professional level of service in every area of our responsibility, and we recognize the importance of ethics and commitment to our duties, protecting the public and this incident is no different.”
In a previous statement, the sheriff wrote that a deputy had “euthanized a pig that had been on the loose for several days.”
She said that the Sheriff’s Office received “several other complaints” about the “loose pig.” She added that there is body camera video and the incident is under investigation.
On September 20, the department posted a picture of the pig and wrote on Facebook,
“Yes, we have a loose pig roaming in the area of STH 42/57 near County MM, near PJ’s Gas Station in the southern part of Door County. Despite several attempts over the last two days by many people, we have been unsuccessful in capturing the pig. The Door County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help! If you know who the owner of this pig might be, please get in touch with us. We are still actively searching for the owner.”
They added at that time,”We also urge the public traveling in this area to be aware of the loose pig. Our priority is to capture the pig before anything occurs. If you happen to see the pig, contact the Door County Sheriff’s Office.”
