The boy videotaped lashing a pig at the Iowa State Fair was helping his family move the animal and was not an FFA competitor, a top fair official said this week.

As a result, the Iowa State Fair Board will not take action against the 11-year-old, said Gary Slater, fair manager and CEO.

The video taken by Des Moines resident Wheaten Mather on the first Friday of the fair — held from Aug. 8 to Aug. 18 — triggered an outcry from those concerned about the gilt, who had visible lash marks on her head.

It also triggered questions about how fair police reacted, banning Mather and two friends for life after he confronted Slater and fair marking director Mindy Williamson on the fair’s final Sunday.

About 150,000 people read an Aug. 22 Watchdog column published on the Register’s website and shared across social media. Numerous readers asked after if fair officials planned to take action against the boy, who can be seen hitting the pig in the face with the show stick.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, the largest animal rights organization in the world, issued a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible.

But fair officials said the pig was examined by an employee in the state veterinarian's office and was all right.

In an interview Wednesday with Watchdog, Slater said fair officials are discussing more training through FFA for those who compete at the fair, supplying and advising competitors on use of proper equipment, and posting signage with contact information to ensure other incidents don’t occur.

Slater said the gilt belonged to a sibling of the 11-year-old boy on the videotape and that he was trying to help his father load the pig onto a trailer. The family welcomed a meeting with FFA and a fair official after the incident was made public, but was embarrassed to be in the public eye, he said.

“FFA people … and our competitive events director met with the family and counseled them on best practices and good practices on showing animals,” Slater said. “I think that was something that needed to happen.”

Of his encounter with Mather on Aug. 18, Slater said Mather was obviously passionate about what he’d seen the previous Friday and wanted to protect any animal treated that way.

However, he said Mather also was “demanding to me that I change the whole structure of what we do because obviously the structure we had in place did not prevent this from happening.”

Slater said he told Mather the fair has a close relationship with the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, and volunteers walk through the fair barns to help ensure the health and safety of the animals.

Mather insisted what the fair had in place was not enough, he said. Slater described the 40-year-old as being belligerent and bullying, insisting that the fair manager address the problem right at that moment.

Slater said he agreed the two could meet later to discuss the video, which he did not view at the time. But it was also the fair’s last day and he was busy.

“(Mather) was drinking a beer at the time and being very, very forceful,” Slater said.

Slater said he didn’t know if Mather was drunk, but he “downed” the beer in his hand quickly.

“(Marketing Director) Mindy (Williamson) was shaken by it afterward, and that’s when I called security. I didn’t tell them to do anything. But he was even more belligerent to them, and they made their decision.”

Mather on Wednesday criticized fair officials for trying to "diminish my character," and said he had had two beers and was not intoxicated.

He said Slater was not agreeing to a private meeting, and he felt the fair did not have adequate enforcement in place.

"I was legitimately contributing to a conversation, trying to point out their weak points," he said.

He said Slater and Williamson's description of what transpired has gotten "more ridiculous" with time.

"I don’t know a darn thing about animal competition. But if you were a baseball stadium owner and something bad happened at that stadium … you would ultimately take responsibility that something happened on your grounds and it would be dealt with accordingly."

He questioned why Slater took a month to react, saying he wished he would have had the compassion to ask to see the video and set up a meeting.

"My passion and frustration stems from what I see as abuse of power and lack of accountability," he said.

Mather and his friends can appeal their ejection for life from the fair by making an appointment with the fair police department (515-262-3111, ext. 327), Williamson said. But the ultimate decision would rest with Cmdr. Doug Phillips, who also had a confrontation with Mather when he and his friends were being ejected from the fair.

Slater said it’s true police don’t enforce such a ban, which would require asking for identification for all attendees. But the three could face criminal consequences for trespassing if they are caught back at the public fairgrounds.

Slater said he received several emails about the pig incident after it was reported in local media.

“But I got fewer emails from Iowans than from New York City and California. No one wanted to meet with me … They were just admonishing people at the swine barn for allowing this to be done to pigs.”

He said the code of ethics all competitors sign when they make entry to the fairgrounds require best practices for raising and showing animals. “Hurting the animal is not a way to guide them down the path,” he said.

More than 30,000 animals were shown this year at the fair, which drew a record crowd of more than 1.17 million people. Slater said the young people who show at the fair are passionate about showing and raising animals and “treat them nice and well, as they should be treated.

“All in all, I’m proud of what Iowans do when showing their livestock,” he said.

Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@dmreg.com or 515-284-8549. Follow her on Twitter at @leerood and on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.

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