Catholic church in northeastern Wisconsin moves away from long-standing tradition of pig wrestling

STEPHENSVILLE— A Catholic church in northeastern Wisconsin has replaced its long-standing tradition of pig wrestling at an annual event following protests last year by an animal rights group.

Post-Crescent Media reports Sunday's 45th annual St. Patrick Catholic Parish Roundup in Stephensville had a life-sized foosball tournament rather than pig wrestling. Players held onto plastic pipes attached to livestock gates, using everything but their hands to advance a pig-shaped ball.

Animal rights group Global Conservation protested pig wrestling at last year's event. The Watertown-based group claimed pigs were "punched in the face, kicked, body-slammed, jumped on, yelled at and thrown into a bucket."

Event chairman Glenn Van Handel says organizers didn't feel they were doing anything wrong, but that they moved away from pig wrestling because of the controversy.