A Pinellas County judge will weigh whether the SPCA Tampa Bay committed animal cruelty in a case that has drawn petitions and protests
NEED TO KNOW
- SPCA Tampa Bay faces an animal cruelty charge after a pig in its care was found severely sunburned
- The pig, Waddles, went viral on TikTok and sparked protests after being surrendered by his former family
- Waddles is now recovering at a Florida ranch with improved health but remains blind in one eye
A Florida animal shelter could be forced to shut down after a beloved pet pig in its care was found severely sunburned.
The SPCA Tampa Bay faces an animal cruelty charge over its treatment of Waddles, a 300-lb. pig whose ordeal drew 4 million TikTok views and sparked petitions and protests. A judge will hear arguments about whether the 86-year-old nonprofit committed animal cruelty, according to the Tampa Bay Times. If convicted, the organization could lose its license and be forced to close.
Waddles was surrendered to the SPCA in 2024 by the Hernandez family of Seminole, Fla., who had raised him since 2020 but could no longer keep him after their cleaning business folded and back-to-back hurricanes flooded their home, forcing a move to Branson, Mo. Claudine Hernandez, who had briefly worked at the shelter taking in animals, said she called pig sanctuaries across Florida first, but every one was full.
“They had two barns on all this land with nothing else on it,” she told the outlet. “I thought he’d end up somewhere good.”…