'Mini' pig, who was kept in a fish tank so he would 'stay small' lives happy after rescue

A pig named Beacon was rescued following his abusive life in a fish tank and too little food for his growth.

According to a Facebook post, The breeder who sold Beacon to his previous family told them that he was a “mini pig” and he had to be kept in a small space and given little food to prevent him from growing big.

The family took the breeder’s advice and had been keeping Beacon in a fish tank and feeding him small rations of food just two times a day.

After some time, Beacon’s previous family decided that they could no longer handle the pig and put an ad up on Craiglist requesting someone to take care of him.

The ad was spotted on Craiglist and someone put it up in a pig-related Facebook group. Eventually, Anna Hoffman stumbled upon the ad.

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As soon as she saw the pictures of Beacon posted in the ad, she understood the dire conditions in which he had been living. She already had one pig in her house and was not planning for a second one, but she realized that Beacon required her help immediately.

She visited the family the very next day so that she can rescue the pig in time. “When I picked Beacon up, I was in complete shock,” Hoffman told The Dodo.

She added, “The pictures I had seen were awful, but in person, it was even worse. His hooves were about 3 inches long and he couldn’t even walk properly. He was so skinny, all you saw was bone. He was terrified of everything. I tried to offer him a small piece of cookie to see if he would come near me but he wouldn’t.”

They took the pig to the vet and following a series of X-rays, blood work, and a detailed examination, it was discovered that Beacon did not have any residual health issues but was severely underweight at just 11 pounds.

Besides physical shortcomings, Beacon also had trust issues and anxiety. But with time and effort, Hoffman was finally able to bring the pig out of its misery.

Today, he is a healthy looking pig who spends his days running around outside the house, rolling in the grass, and playing with his other pig friend and sister, Charlotte.

Stories of animals being ignored and neglected to point of risking their health are sadly common. People often fail to provide for these animals once they have grown old or are no longer of use.

Previously, a couple of lions were also rescued by a Texas-based facility after they were ignored and left to starve by their former owner.