‘Her legacy will live forever’: Esther the Wonder Pig has died

'She was calm and peaceful, and fell asleep with her dad Steve by her side,' says the announcement of her passing

Esther with Steve Jenkins, one of her owners.Supplied photo

Halton’s favourite four-legged friend has passed away.

Esther the Wonder Pig's owners announced last night (Oct. 18) that she's died at age 11 following some health struggles in recent weeks.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but the day we all wished would never come has arrived. Esther has passed away,” reads a post on Esther’s Facebook page that has 1.5 million followers from around the world.

“She was calm and peaceful, and fell asleep with her dad Steve by her side. While we understand many of you will have questions, and we will have the answers for you, but we are going to take a little break to process the situation.”

The famous pig, who lived on Happily Ever Esther farm sanctuary in Campbellville, became an unconventional house pet after being adopted in 2012 by then-Georgetown residents Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, who thought they were getting a micro piglet.

They quickly discovered she was actually a full-sized commercial pig, growing to a whopping 600 pounds.

Jenkins and Walter went on to buy the farm property in Campbellville and open a sanctuary for animals in need, with Esther being the star of the show who garnered attention from around the globe.

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

The news of Esther's passing has now spread around the world, with PETA President Ingrid Newkirk releasing the following statement in response:

"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. 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."