Pet piglet grows into 550-pound housemate

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OVERLAID: (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) TEACHER AND PET OWNER, ROSANGELA DOS SANTOS LARA, SAYING:

"I bought her thinking she would be a mini-pig, but she turned into a giant animal.’’

This is Lilica, the 550-pound house pig

Location: Peruibe, Brazil

Her owner bought her as a piglet three years ago

but she’s since grown much bigger than expected

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) TEACHER AND PET OWNER, ROSANGELA DOS SANTOS LARA, SAYING:

"People sometimes criticize me, they call me crazy, but she brings me joy. I don't think it's crazy, but rather a love for animals."

Lilica sleeps on her own mattress in her owner’s bedroom

with a fan to keep her cool

She eats 11 pounds of fruit and vegetables a day

which Rosangela and her husband struggle to provide

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) TEACHER AND PET OWNER, ROSANGELA DOS SANTOS LARA, SAYING:

"I saw someone this week who said, 'I'll give you 20,000 reais (US$3,580). Will you sell it?' And I said, 'I'm not selling'. That's with the knowledge those 20,000 reais would help me out at the moment. So she's staying."