Articles

"Feral" pig case ends in Michigan

March 07, 2014 | By JENNIFER THOMPSON

Nearly two years ago, we asked whether it was lawful to own a pig in Michigan after a state agency issued an “Invasive Species Order”—ostensibly aimed at outlawing the ownership of “feral” pigs—but drafted so broadly and vaguely so as to cover barn-yard animals.  Now we finally have an answer: it depends on whether the ...

Articles

Michigan “Feral Pig” update, or “Why suing the government feels like a ‘Sisyphean task’”

December 31, 2012 | By JENNIFER THOMPSON

Last April, we reported the sad and bizarre story of farmers in Michigan who were told that their barnyard pigs were “feral” and had to be destroyed.  According to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Invasive Species Order, pigs that display certain vague and contradictory characteristics—i.e. a straight tail or a curly ...