ASHEVILLE — Brother Wolf Animal Rescue will sell its 82.5 acre property in Leicester to put a dent in a million-dollar budget deficit, according to an April 22 press release.

Leah Craig Fieser, who stepped up as Brother Wolf's new executive director in January, said the organization's leaders made the difficult decision to sell the sanctuary for farmed animals in light of dire financial problems.

Denise Bitz, Fieser's predecessor and Brother Wolf founder, became a divisive figure as her advocacy for veganism became increasingly militant. Under Bitz's leadership, critics say, Brother Wolf strayed from its original mission as a no-kill pet shelter and invested heavily in rescue efforts for farm animals.

"The organization took on too much too quickly, without sufficient foresight," Fieser said. "Well intentioned programming directed at farmed animal advocacy and planning a large sanctuary location ultimately hurt the financial stability of the organization and caused us to lose many supporters. Polarizing vegan messaging also made many supporters feel as though they were no longer welcomed and valued.”

When the project began in 2015, Brother Wolf described the Leicester sanctuary as a facility to provide long-term care to animals that wouldn't thrive in a normal shelter environment. As finances grew shaky in 2017, Bitz announced Brother Wolf would relocate all operations to the Leicester property and close its adoption clinic on Glendale Avenue, which generated considerable public backlash. In February 2019, Brother Wolf reversed course on the adoption clinic, confirming it would remain open.

In a call to the Citizen Times, Fieser said the Leicester property isn't yet on the market. Brother Wolf will entertain offers as soon as a professional appraisal is complete, which is expected within the month, Fieser said.

And this little piggie needs a home

Brother Wolf began taking in "farmed animals" as part of Bitz' vision for a fully vegan animal rescue, placing barnyard animals in its Leicester property and with the rescue's extensive foster network. Currently housed at the Leicester sanctuary — and in most urgent need of adoption — are five farm hogs, five cows, and nine pot-bellied pigs, according to Fieser.

In foster homes (or perhaps foster farms?) are an additional five farm hogs and five pot-bellied pigs.

Pot-bellies are bred for companionship, not agriculture — they have a cult following for their intelligence and charm. But shelters across the United States have been inundated with pot-bellies in recent years as the myth of the "mini pig" has been propagated on social media.

Irreputable backyard breeders sell pot-bellied piglets at only days old, insisting they're a 'teacup strain' whose parents maxed out at a few pounds. But families learn they got more than they bargained for as the piglets rapidly balloon in size — to a final weight of about 100 to 200 pounds. (They're dense, though, so usually clock in at about the size of a 40 pound dog.)

And since potbellied pigs live between 12 and 20 years, animals like Confetti are in need of committed forever homes.

Before you rush out to add swine to your household, however, be certain to check your local municipal codes. While Buncombe County is fairly lax with their livestock regulations, for instance, the city of Asheville requires permits to have pigs on the premises.

Reach out to Brother Wolf at 828-505-3440 if you think a pig (or cow!) might be for you.