Red Deer welcomed back Francis the Pig, who has been absent from the central Alberta city for two years.
The statue commemorating a pig who was a fugitive for several months in 1990 after escaping a local slaughterhouse was unveiled at the Central Spray and Play Park back on August 29th.
Francis escaped from Central Alberta Meats, located what is now known as Taylor Drive. For those that do not know the story of Francis, here is the back story.
Francis escaped from Central Alberta Meats by jumping over a 1.2 metre wall, running through the plant, and out into the surrounding parkland. He roamed the parks and forests of the city for months, evading capture at every turn. Eventually, Francis’ escape and continued evasion became local news and thus, his story began to infiltrate the hearts of Canadians and beyond. Francis’ popularity and reach grew as school children and animal rights activists sent letters to the city begging for his amnesty should he ever be captured. With that said, on November 29th, Al Marshall, a local fisherman and hunter, was able to finally tranquilize Francis with three darts, allowing him to be moved to his new home on a local farm. Sadly, Francis’ new status as a happy farm pig was short lived. On December 1st, 1990, Francis passed away after succumbing to a wound caused by one of the tranquilizer darts.
Francis the Pig was immortalized and unveiled in 1998 as part of Red Deer’s ghost sculpture collection, a series of public statues depicting stories from Red Deer’s history.

A few years ago, maker Danek Mozdzenski and a friend were visiting Francis when they realized the sculpture’s mounts had mostly been cut through. It seemed to Mozdzenski that thieves were preparing to steal Francis.
The city took it down and worked with the artist to make Francis more theft proof.
Not only did Mozdzenski design a more secure platform for Francis, but he took the opportunity to add some finishing details, like daisies below Francis’ feet.
“It represents him running for his life and so he’s just taking off and he’s jumping over something. That something is a hedge of daisies, and that hedge is where the large supporting rails are. So that hedge device provides a comic component: He’s going through this still smelling of roses,” the artist explained.
Revisiting old work this way and learning of the community’s love for Francis has been very special for Mozdzenski.
Troubled Monk brewery in Red Deer serves a “Pesky Pig Pale Ale” to honour Francis. •