New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has angered People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) after buying and sending a $7,000 grand-champion pig to a local butcher. The animal rights organization has sent him some vegan bacon "in the hope that he'll open his heart, not clog it with pig fat."
According to The New York Post, Cespedes recently paid $7,000 for a prize pig at a 4-H Club auction at the St. Lucie County Fair on Sunday night. After learning that he could not keep the 270-pound pig, he decided to have it dispatched by sending it to a local butcher.
But the baseball outfielder's decision was condemned by PETA. "Yoenis Cespedes can afford $7,000 out of his own pocket, and this loving, loyal and clever pig is paying the real price with his life," PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange said in a statement.
"It's a shame that Cespedes dropped the ball here and missed the opportunity to send this pig to a sanctuary, where he could have lived out his days in peace," Lange added. "We're sending Cespedes some delicious vegan bacon in the hope that he'll open his heart, not clog it with pig fat."
In response to PETA's statement, a Mets team official has defended Cespedes' decision, saying that the animal cannot be taken home as a pet. "There is some sort of state law here in Florida that a hog bought at auction must be slaughtered," a Mets spokesperson told ESPN in an email.
"So, it's not really Yoenis' decision," the spokesperson added. "It's just the rule. The pig is not a pet."
Cespedes has been the center of media attention in the past days. He stole the spotlight when he arrived in six different fancy vehicles on the first week of camp. He was also seen riding on a horse named 'Candy' across the team's spring training complex.
