A pig that jumped a tall fence and escaped its deadly fate at a slaughterhouse more than three decades ago captured the imagination once again on Friday after an improved statue of the rebel was unveiled in the same central Alberta city where the ham was once on the lam.

Locals gathered in a park in Red Deer, Alta., to observe and take photos of the life-size, bronze statue of Francis the pig jumping over a hedge covered with daisies during an unveiling at the city's Central Spray & Play park.

Fr…