'Her memory and legacy will live forever': Esther the Wonder Pig passes away

Remembering Esther the Wonder Pig Esther, the big pig with a big following, died. CTV's Tyler Kelaher has more on the life and legacy the celebrity swine leaves behind.

Esther the Wonder Pig, the celebrity swine who played an integral role in advancing veterinary care in Guelph, has passed away.

Esther’s owners made the announcement on Facebook Wednesday.

“Even though Esther is no longer physically with us, her memory and legacy will live forever. Esther is immortal, and we will continue to show the world that all animals deserve to be loved just like she was,” read the post.

Esther, from Campbellville, became a local star over the past few years. While she’s often recognized for her size of more than 600 lbs., her impact on the community was just as big.

She dealt with a number of health complications, including breast cancer, which led to a new initiative to rescue and rehabilitate abandoned and abused farm animals.

Esther also helped raise money to bring Canada’s first equine CT scanner to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. The scanner was used to find diseases and abnormalities in horses and other large animals.

The Wonder Pig’s contributions were made into a New York Times best-selling book and even caught the attention of celebrity comedian Ricky Gervais and environment activist Greta Thunberg.

Her owners said in the post about her passing that she was calm and peaceful when it happened and she fell asleep with her dad Steve by her side.

They also shared gratitude for all the love over the years.

She has more than a million followers her social media accounts, proving that Esther was no ordinary pig.

PETA sent CTV News a statement following the news of Esther the Wonder Pig’s passing.

“Esther’s story of being adopted and moving her dads to go vegan and open a farmed-animal sanctuary inspired countless people to see pigs as individuals,” said Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s president. “The world is a far kinder place because she was in it, and she’ll always be PETA’s ‘Best Animal Influencer’ for winning everyone over with her personality, charm, and loving bond with her family—and for showing that she, like all pigs, was a living, feeling being, not bacon.”

Esther earned the title of Best Animal Influencer in 2018, at the 13th annual Libby Awards.