These little pigs went to Mrs. Mango’s but county says they must go 'wee-wee-wee' to another home

Mrs. Mangos in Rockledge faces hurdles to keep pigs on property after code enforcement complaint.
Mrs. Mangos in Rockledge faces hurdles to keep pigs on property after code enforcement complaint.

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What's to become of Mrs. Mango’s rescued pot-bellied pigs?

The pigs have called the Rockledge-area shop along U.S. 1 home for several years. But zoning rules and a sudden complaint have put pressure on the long-time health store to find new homes for for the critters.

Owners of Mrs. Mango’s and members of the community were not thrilled to find out that the rescue pigs who live on the store and are known for being part of its charm are not in compliance with county rules.

A petition on Change.org had garnered over 3,300 signatures from people hoping to prevent Mrs. Mango’s owners from having to find a new home for the pot-bellies.

Anneke Charland said the pigs have never been an issue before, and have been seen as an asset to her neighbors in the area and never a nuisance. The complaint to code enforcement caught her completely off guard.

"Every animal in this garden is a rescue. Every chicken, every duck, every pig. We try to give homes to everybody," Charland said. "These pigs had nowhere else to go. They all came from horrible situations. Now they're clean and happy and have medical care."

One of her pigs was found wandering down the road at night and another was found on the back porch of an abandoned house. All have since found safe shelter at Mrs. Mango’s in Brevard County just south of Rockledge.

Over the years, Charland and her husband have always kept at least a few rescue pigs on the property at any given time. Not once have they ever received a complaint, she said.

Under current rules, Mrs. Mango’s is limited from owning more than four pigs on the property because they only have 2.44 acres and not 10 acres as is currently required.

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Mrs. Mango’s has been in the Rockledge area for close to four decades, previously being owned and operated by Charland's grandmother until just over a decade ago.

The iconic and quaint yellow building—shrouded in plant-life—stands just off the highway and the property falls under two different sets of zoning rules, with part of the location commercial and the other agricultural.

Charland said she would be happy to keep the pigs on the section of the property zoned agricultural but she has too few acres to stay in compliance with the current county rules.

"Four pigs is an arbitrary number. The fact that Mrs. Mango’s had them for so many years indicates the authorities were aware of the situation and didn't feel it warranted any action," said Ann Damon, a Melbourne woman who signed the petition.

"These amazing people take amazing care of their animals. I have never met another that fights so hard for the animals. ALL ANIMALS. Saving unwanted and neglected animals plus, they have the biggest hearts. Always go above and beyond for everyone, I couldn't imagine ripping these pigs from their safe place and home. Please help them keep their pigs," said another supporter, Mari Gransden.

Charland appealed to the Brevard County Commission at a Tuesday night meeting as she is seeking a conditional use permit for her property that would allow her to keep the pigs.

"We have no problem moving the pigs to the back part of the property" that's zoned for agricultural, she said, adding that they are not being raised as livestock but being kept as pets.

"We don't want to have to give up six of our pets. We love them, we've had them for years and they give so much joy to the community," Charland said. "They're not harming anybody and to re-home six pigs is pretty much impossible."

"We don't want to get more we just want to let them live out their lives in peace," Charland added.

Commissioner Rita Pritchett told Charland that staff would be looking at her request.

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Mrs. Mango’s faces fight to keep pigs on property