Famous YouTuber Logan Paul’s pig Pearl ended up at The Gentle Barn in a condition described as, “lucky to be alive,” by the animal sanctuary’s TikTok video.
On Monday, The Gentle Barn posted a video onto its TikTok account about a pig they had rescued “abandoned in a field,” accompanied by another pig that had died. The pig, Pearl, had mangled ears and, as The Gentle Barn described, was “lucky to be alive.
In the video they state, “We were told she belonged to a famous YouTuber and was irresponsibly re-homed.”
Due to the power of the internet, it wasn’t long before the public made the connection that it was famous YouTuber Logan Paul’s pig Pearl that he had adopted in September of 2018.
The TikTok amassed more than 1.1 million views and a duet to the video by @ethankleinh3 amassing more than 4 million views.
Many began attacking Paul online — tagging him in the TikTok and commenting on how he handled the situation, making TikToks themselves stating he needs to apologize and asking for an explanation.
On Tuesday, Paul was interviewed by TMZ in response to the uproar.
Paul said that once he made the decision to move to Puerto Rico, he realized he could not bring Pearl along with him.
Paul re-homed Pearl at a horse ranch located in Santa Clarita in April 2020.
“The first thing I did was I check myself,” said Paul to TMZ. “I said, ‘Wait a second, was she irresponsibly re-homed by me? Absolutely not. She was put in an amazing horse ranch where she lived an amazing life for 10 months.”
Paul said that the ranch owner moved to Nevada and then gave Pearl to a farm across the street, all without Paul’s knowledge.
“She was not at the home that I dropped her off at,” said Paul to TMZ. “I didn’t know this was taking place.”
Paul said that farmer then contacted The Gentle Barn to take the pig.
According to Paul, on Jan. 9, that is when he then learned of the transfer. In his email sent to The Gentle Barn, which he shared with TMZ, he said that the farmer promised care of Pearl to the ranch owner.
He also said that Pearl was dropped off and transferred alone, denying any connection to the pig that was found dead.
Paul has shared on Twitter that he bought Pearl under the impression that she was a miniature pig. Pearl was not, but, according to Paul, that did not affect how he took care of her.
“She was in my life for two to two-and-a-half years and she lived the best life ever,” said Paul to TMZ. “She was regularly bathed, ate meals that were gourmet for a pig, had a 30-foot by 50-foot pen, had an apartment of her own. I loved this pig.”
He said that if he could go back to the time of adopting Pearl, he would not have done it because of his move, according to his TMZ interview.
After seeing the video, Paul felt “heartbroken.” He emailed The Gentle Barn thanking them for their care and said he would, “love to send a token of (his) gratitude,” an email provided by Paul to TMZ.
In a statement by The Gentle Barn, they confirmed that they did receive this email and that he thanked them for taking care of Pearl. It is unknown at this time if Paul has donated anything toward the animal sanctuary.
Pearl is, as of the date of this publication, under The Gentle Barn’s full care.
“We got her examined by a veterinarian, checked her teeth, did extensive hoof trims as they were grossly overgrown, got her spayed and while doing so discovered and healed a potentially life-threatening infection,” read a statement by The Gentle Barn. “We’re feeding her organic fruits, veggies, and grains to get her healthy and full of energy, and giving her sound therapy.”
The Gentle Barn used this incident to urge others that “teacup” or “micro” pigs do not exist, so others do not make the mistake that Paul did.
“All pigs grow big, and if you are taking in a pig, you have to be aware of all of their needs and develop a plan of action for them as they grow,” read The Gentle Barn statement. “Choosing to bring any animal into your family is making a lifelong commitment to them and it’s vital to do the research on all of their possible needs including how long they could live, nutrition requirements, appropriate housing, and more.”
Logan Paul is not doing interviews at this time, according to his representatives.
