A Staten Island family has been fighting the city tooth and nail for the right to keep “Lucy,” a beloved pet pygmy pig. Now the government has relented.
For almost 15 years, Lucy has resided with the Gannones, her adopted family, in peaceful harmony. But in June, “the pig was subject to an anonymous 311 complaint,” which said the Gannone family “had been illegally keeping her as a pet” (owning a pig is illegal within city limits), according to reporting from CBS News New York. While the Gannones faced potential fines ranging from $3,000 to $18,000 and threats of Lucy being taken away, they refused to comply. Lucy, who is registered as an emotional support animal, is being treated for various diseases due to her advanced age on Staten Island, reports SILive.com.
Prominent New Yorkers have rallied in support of Lucy’s right to stay with her family, including Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and a Republican candidate for mayor. “This is what the city is prioritizing during a public safety crisis,” Sliwa said in a Facebook post after visiting the family’s home. “15-year-old Lucy has lived with the Gannone family in Tottenville her whole life. She’s sick, she’s harmless and now in her final days…This isn’t public safety. This is abusive, punishing people over something that hurts no one.”
The story inspired a petition, which has received thousands of signatures. The petition argues, “It is incomprehensible that a sweet, loving creature, who poses no health threats, faces being uprooted from her family and the environment where she feels safe and loved.” It also urges readers to sign and thus “convey to the local authorities in Staten Island that Lucy’s wellbeing and her family ties should not be severed by bureaucratic actions.”
The public outcry has inspired change. On Monday, city Mayor Eric Adams said the family could keep the pig if they agreed to keep Lucy upstate and outside of city limits.
“Lucy the Pig is staying on Staten Island with her family to receive medical care. We won’t be fining them or taking enforcement action at this time as it’s clear Lucy is cared for and not causing any disruptions to the community,” Adams said in a post on X. “Pig ownership is still against the law in New York City. Once Lucy is well again, her family will be returning her to their second home upstate,” he added.
This isn’t the first time New York has targeted the ownership of unconventional pets. Last year, a squirrel known as Peanut was seized and murdered by state officials, resulting in mass public outcry, countless memes, and calls of “justice for Peanut” shared by those disturbed by such a violent and horrific example of governmental overreach.
Luckily for Lucy and the Gannone family, the pig will now escape the cruel fate that the government dealt to Peanut and other animals before him.
