Pet piglet grows into 550-pound housemate
OVERLAID: (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) TEACHER AND PET OWNER, ROSANGELA DOS SANTOS LARA, SAYING:
"I bought her thinking she would be a mini-pig, but she turned into a giant animal.’’
This is Lilica, the 550-pound house pig
Location: Peruibe, Brazil
Her owner bought her as a piglet three years ago
but she’s since grown much bigger than expected
(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) TEACHER AND PET OWNER, ROSANGELA DOS SANTOS LARA, SAYING:
"People sometimes criticize me, they call me crazy, but she brings me joy. I don't think it's crazy, but rather a love for animals."
Lilica sleeps on her own mattress in her owner’s bedroom
with a fan to keep her cool
She eats 11 pounds of fruit and vegetables a day
which Rosangela and her husband struggle to provide
(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) TEACHER AND PET OWNER, ROSANGELA DOS SANTOS LARA, SAYING:
"I saw someone this week who said, 'I'll give you 20,000 reais (US$3,580). Will you sell it?' And I said, 'I'm not selling'. That's with the knowledge those 20,000 reais would help me out at the moment. So she's staying."