Logan Paul thanks Pearl the pig's rescuers

Pig got big: Logan's pint-sized piglet grew, and grew, and grew, and grew...

Logan Paul has thanked rescuers who saved his former pet pig after it was found abandoned and injured.

The Youtuber, podcaster and energy drink magnate adopted Pearl as a piglet about four years ago.

He said he was heartbroken to learn his curly-tailed friend - who he had to leave in the US when he moved to Puerto Rico - had been found with a life-threatening infection and wounded ears.

Logan thanked the Gentle Barn sanctuary in California, who took Pearl in.

In a statement, he said she had been rehomed without his knowledge by the new owner.

The content creator, who has more than 23 million subscribers, posted a video of him collecting Pearl from a breeder in 2018.

In the clip, he says "I think this was a good idea" as he carries the tiny porker away.

Logan bought Pearl as a so-called "mini pig", which are bred to stay small.

Speaking the same video, he said he would find out "in the upcoming years and months" how mini his pet would remain.

The answer: not very.

But Pearl used to appear on Logan's Youtube channel and was seen living at his Los Angeles home with a host of other pets.

She even had her own Instagram page, which no longer exists.

Logan rehomed her during his move to Puerto Rico from California a couple of years ago, and she stopped appearing online.

That is until the Gentle Barn shared video of a rescue on TikTok - a pig named Pearl who turned out to be Logan's former pet.

The sanctuary said she was found abandoned in a field next to another pig which had died.

Rescuers said she was "lucky to be alive" after being diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening uterus infection which they said has since healed.

"We were told she belonged to a famous YouTuber and had irresponsibly been rehomed," the sanctuary said.

"She's clearly been through so much trauma that we can't begin to imagine, but she's now safe with us."

The Gentle Barn shared details about Pearl's story on their website

Sharing his side of the story on Twitter, Logan said he rehomed Pearl at a ranch where she lived for 10 months before being rehomed again without his knowledge.

"This is an incredible heartbreaking situation," he wrote. "I had Pearl for two years.

"I'm beyond thankful to the Gentle Barn for taking her in and will do whatever I need to aid in Pearl's care."

The sanctuary said mini pigs "inevitably grow very large" and are often bought for "clout online" but later abandoned when they become harder to manage.

Other celebrities including Paris Hilton and Ariana Grande have also had micro pigs, which first started to become popular about 10 years ago.

The RSPCA in Britain says it's "very concerned" about how suitable they are as pets and what happens to the animals "once the novelty of owning them has worn off".

The charity says the pigs need a stimulating environment, and without one they're likely to exhibit negative behaviours.

It also says they shouldn't be housed alone because they are social animals.

Logan, who has also ventured into wrestling, boxing, podcasting and acting, made headlines earlier this week after fans who invested in his cryptocurrency game, CryptoZoo, lost money.

He apologised, saying he would be "taking accountability" after the game failed to materialise more than a year after its launch.

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