Seppo the wild boar, a Finnish social media star, dies

Seppo, a wild boar officially recognized as a pet in Suomussalmi, Finland, has died, his owners announced on Instagram.

According to owner Tiina Juntunen, Seppo died Thursday evening after suffering an apparent allergic reaction to medication.

Seppo gained nationwide fame on social media after videos of the piglet, shared by Tiina and Veikka Juntunen, amassed over a million views. Born frail with severe injuries, Seppo was initially unlikely to survive. After consulting a supervisory veterinarian, the Juntunens obtained official permission to keep him as a pet—an exception to Finnish law, which generally prohibits keeping wild vertebrates as pets.

Seppo’s unexpected rise to social media stardom began when a video posted by Tiina Juntunen on Facebook went viral, garnering over 100,000 views almost immediately. The couple continued sharing lighthearted videos of Seppo, which eventually surpassed a million views.