Piggy bank made of actual piglet sparks death threats

Saw this article on cnn.com, not sure how I feel about this. Definitely not something I could own.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/10/piggy-bank-made-of-actual-piglet-sparks-death-threats/?hpt=C2

Piggy bank made of actual piglet sparks death threats

Piggy banks have been used for centuries to save money, and more recently, to teach children the merits of saving portions of their allowances.

The often-cute devices are typically made of clay or porcelain and rarely, if ever, incite controversy – but, of course, that may be because they are typically made of clay or porcelain.

Thecheeky.com’s piggy bank is made of a real piglet, but fear not, pleads the site: The animals were turned into piggy banks after dying of natural causes.

“It’s a real piglet that has been taxidermied and inserted with what all piglets probably dream of as babies, a coin storage unit and a cork plug,” the Vancouver-based site said, using an altered photograph of a live piglet in its pitch.

The pig takes a year to make after it is ordered, and thecheeky.com wants half of the asking price - $2,000 – up front.

The Winnipeg Humane Society is not amused and is calling for a letter writing campaign to Vancouver Magazine, which recently ran an ad for the piggy banks.

“While animals are routinely killed for their meat and hides, this is a particularly callous and demeaning exploitation of a baby animal's dead body. It trivializes the life (and death) of a sentient being,” the animal rights group said on its website.

The Vancouver Sun’s Peter Fricker explored why the pigs are offensive in an article last week and eventually sided with the Humane Society’s - after playing devil’s advocate.

“I suppose it could even be argued that the taxidermied piggy bank is at least honest about its origins. Unlike your animal-derived purse or wallet you have to look the product in the face,” Fricker wrote. “But somehow taking the dead bodies of baby pigs and turning them into novelty gifts for rich people to put their loose change in seems especially indecent.”

The Sun linked out to the British Columbia Agriculture Ministry site, which explains the breadth of products derived from pigs.

In addition to the obvious – pork chops and bacon, et al. – the ministry pointed out various parts of pigs are used for weed killers, rubber, floor wax, crayons, make-up, plastics, chalk, antifreeze, glue, protein for animal feed, leather-making substances, gloves, shoes, garments, paint brushes, insulation, upholstery, bone meal, water filters, insulin for diabetics and ventricles for special heart surgery.

Colin Hart, who told The Toronto Star that he created thecheeky.com for his more outrageous ideas (such as suitcase stickers designed to make your luggage look like it contains a body or bricks of cocaine), seemed surprised by the backlash.

“Most people understand it’s a bit of a joke,” he told the newspaper. “We’re not harming any animals. We’re not even considering it. It’s quite ridiculous what’s happening.”

He also noted that, at $4,000, it’s priced “a little out of the reach of people. Anybody, really.”

Hart, 34, told The Sun he was receiving hate mail and death threats, despite having yet to sell a Piglet Bank.

I'm thinking I will pass on the piglet bank but if someone has an old piggy bank kicking around I would take that :lol:

See I don't have a problem with this. IMO a person can get all freaked out about dead things (they are dead) or choose not to waste a carcass and get creative with them. Never understood why people worry about dead animal and human parts ( the Body Works display travelling the world as an example) being used as art. I've said before taxidermy is actually an interesting hobby. Lets see ...burn it or bury it, hide it somehow, is better than preserving it for a purpose as a teaching tool or a usable item. I'll eat the flesh but don't show me the rest of it attitude because it doesn't respect the animal is silly. Modern society with all of the grocery stores are losing their survival instincts and pushing a weird political correctness about dead animal welfare now. Good grief wasn't that long ago when to survive was to use all parts of a kill for food, shelter and clothing.

oh good,someone to debate with.

I just feel and always felt that the animal parts that could,should be used,however I see no need to hang deer or moose antlers on a plaque wall

I see no legitimate reason to use a pig carcass as a bank,nor deer antlers as table legs

I feel they are put here for our consumption and our use of the hide and other parts,but not to be displayed

You wouldn't like it at my house Yorkie.

Personally I couldn't use one as a piggy bank but that's just me. Plus I couldn't see spending $2000 that I could put into piggy bank than spending on one. lol Not that there is anything wrong with those who would use one, it's any different than someone having leather shoes, leather purse and wallet.