A 71-year-old man identified as ‘Mr Krzysztof’ was eaten by his pigs on his farm after collapsing from a suspected heart attack.
Mr Krzysztof had reportedly gone to collect water from a well on his farm in the village of Osiek, southwest Poland, when he collapsed and his 12 Hungarian Mangalica pigs ate his body.
A neighbour who had gone out to look for him after not seeing him since New Year’s Eve found his remains, a pile of bones and skull fragments.
According to neighbours, Mr Krzysztof had a drink problem and may have fallen asleep whilst trying to get water from the well.
Prosecutors say he may have also suffered a heart attack, while one neighbour said: ‘He forgot to give the pigs food and probably fell asleep.
‘These pigs are gigantic, they run all over the property, it wouldn’t have been difficult for them to get him. We are afraid of them and don’t got anywhere near.’
However, locals in the area are arguing over whether they should kill the pigs or not.
The prosecutor’s office said that saving the pigs ‘would not be a crime’ and putting them to sleep ‘is not necessary to continue the investigation.’
Meanwhile, Katarzyna Trotzek from the ‘Chrumkowo’ pig asylum said: ‘I don’t believe the pigs ate the corpse. We have contact with pigs every day. They come to us from various places, sometimes they have been starved and kept in boxes with others which are already dead.
‘Those that survived, despite hunger, did not start eating corpses. It’s hard for me to believe that they would have done this.’
The investigation continues.