Animal lovers across Portugal are joining forces to help a family in Montalegre (Vila Real) which has been slapped with a €190 fine for keeping a wild boar as a pet. And this is because the family lacks the appropriate licence (alvará), costing around €600, to own the animal.
The family has had ‘Alaska’ for quite some time but was fined recently after being caught by GNR officers walking the animal on a leash.
Speaking to TVI, the owners lamented that they did not have the money to pay the fine as well as the licence and questioned why they were being ‘punished’ for giving an animal a home when so many others are abandoned or mistreated.
It was not long before the TV exposure led to the creation of a Facebook page ‘Ajudar a Javali Alaska’ (Help Alaska the Wild Boar) to raise money and help the family cover the costs of the fine and the licence.
“I thank everyone who wants to help us very much. There are still some good people in the world,” Alaska’s owner Michael Baltelhas told TVI.
The family had always remained adamant that they would do whatever they could to keep Alaska from being released back into the wild and left in danger of being targeted by hunters.
“Alaska is going to die of old age,” the owner said, stressing that the animal is the family’s beloved pet.
The creators of the ‘Ajudar a Javali Alaska’ Facebook page say that the family’s bank account number (NIB) will be provided very soon.
