The plight of a wild boar found in a barrel captures French hearts… including Brigitte Bardot

He was found rummaging through bins among rotting vegetables, and eating scraps and waste in his adopted home.

But Rillette wild boar has become a cause célèbre in his native France, gathering hundreds of thousands of passionate fans around the world.

Threats by local authorities to take him down led to angry protests, a protest ballad and a campaign by Brigitte Bardot, an actress and animal rights campaigner.

The campaign will culminate in a silent march against overzealous public health officials who are nosy to their cause.

Found as an orphan, Rillette was taken in by a local horse breeder but officials say she is at risk of disease and must be euthanized.

The petition to save Rillette has attracted more than 173,810 signatures since it was launched in early December.

“Which monsters are asking him about his murder? The word 'man' disgusts me,” Ms Bardot said in a handwritten letter published online.

“This little animal has the right to live, even if it's a job, it's innocent,” Euthanasia is a crime! We are ruled by murderers!”

Local authorities say impounding a non-pet animal is illegal and cites the risk of disease and a threat to public safety. But the piglet's plight has struck a chord with the public, with growing calls to save the animal.

“He is an important part of the family,” said Élodie Cappe, the farmer who brought him into the house, told Figaro newspaper. “You are treated the same or better than my dogs, even though I love them very much.”

Ms Cappé found Rillette as a small pig weighing about half a stone, rooting for food in farm waste bins in April 2023. Zoos and local parks refused to take the animal in.

“I called all the organizations. They passed the money,” he told France3 TV channel. “We had to find a place for him in the park, but no one wanted him. And now, he is in print with us.”

A horse breeder built a 12,290 sq ft pig on his farm to comply with regulations, but local authorities have threatened to put the animal down if no other solution is found.

“This law is justified by the health risks associated with raising such animals. Indeed, these species can carry many diseases,” reads a press release from the local prosecutor.

“There is also a great risk of these diseases spreading to farms or domestic livestock. They also pose risks to public safety, as they are wild animals that can cause potentially catastrophic accidents.”

At the end of December, the public prosecutor had again ordered Ms. Cappé to donate the animal to a company that trains animals to appear in films and on television but she refused.

“It's a shame. Do you realize they want to send him there for financial gain? No question,” he told France3.

Ms Cappe faces up to three years in prison and a €150,000 (£125,000) fine.

Rillette's plight, interestingly named after the slow-cooked pork spread, also inspired a song by Monsieur Seby, a YouTuber with 904,000 subscribers, who wrote lyrics such as “I don't want to go/I just want to live/” and “My name is Rillette/soft animal/ that we have done nothing wrong.”

Last November, the Internet mourned the loss of P'nut the Squirrel, an Instagram-famous pet that was seized by New York State authorities and euthanized.

Owner Mark Longo shared videos of the squirrel eating and playing to his 500,000 followers on Instagram.

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