Local residents had been bothered by the mess at a neglected house on Saksen Weimarstraat in Rijen for years, which was evacuated on Wednesday afternoon. According to a neighbor, the garden smelled like a petting zoo because of the pig that lived there. “The house looked like a thrift store inside,” said another local resident.
The house was evacuated on Wednesday afternoon by order of the judge. Housing association Leystromen confirmed on Wednesday evening that there has been a legal conflict between them and the tenant for some time. The judge recently ruled in favor of the corporation. The woman had to leave her house and the house was evacuated.
The severely overweight pig was taken to the animal ambulance on a stretcher and trailer. Two municipal garbage trucks were needed to carry all the junk.
“It seemed like a cycle.”
Local residents are not surprised, because it had been a mess in and around the house for years. “There were things everywhere inside. It looked like a thrift store, but usually the curtains were closed,” says a neighbor.
There were bags, strollers and cots in the front yard. According to the neighbor, the pig’s cage was in the backyard. “She also had ducks and geese at first,” says the neighbor. “The pig slept in a small house. The stench in the backyard was very bad in the summer.”
According to the neighbor, the pig food in the garden attracted vermin. “We have had rats in the backyard since the beginning of this year and we have had mice in the attic for some time,” she says. “Apart from that, we had no problems with the neighbor herself. She was calm.”
“In the summer there was a hint of a petting zoo.”
Another neighbor was bothered by the smell in the garden. “If you sat in the garden at thirty degrees, you would sometimes get a hint of a petting zoo,” she says. Yet the neighbor sympathizes with the resident. “She did not want to be helped and this is the result. There are a lot of problems involved and that is very sad.”
Another neighbor stands up for the resident. “She is very friendly and always says hello,” she describes. And a neighbor a little further away also sympathizes with the woman. “I find the whole situation sad and distressing. That it could come to this,” he says.
The housing association and the municipality cannot say whether the woman has found shelter. According to the municipality, the pig was taken to an animal shelter in Breda. It is not clear what will happen to the animal.
The house will be further cleared later.
