Pigs
In light of the recently highlighted atrocity at the Andgar Piggery at Dublin here in South Australia, it is important to remember the true nature of pigs. Their gentle loving nature, human connection and incredible intelligence only matched by their undeniable sentience. Remembering all of this stands to highlight the incessant cruelty within an industry that hides the truth.
We rescue and take in animals from the farming industry and equine industry. That is what we are and who we will always remain. These animals join us in all sorts of conditions and come from many different paths. Furever Farm soon celebrates it’s 10 year birthday, but what celebration when a sanctuary should never be required in the first place? Despie the hundreds of success stories, it echoes deep the plight of animals born innocent but treated as anything but. We have worked closely with many animals, including pigs. As we speak of pigs can we begin by saying that, having seen a lot of cruelty to animals throughout our time and dealing with a lot of despicable characters, the footage from Andgar reached even greater depths of depravity. To the unshockable came intense gut wrenching sadness and anger. To the hardened came the broken heart that broke.
Pigs are one of the most docile and loving animals on earth. They rate within the top 3% of the most known sensitive animals worldwide. Violence and cruelty simply is not within their dialogue. On the contrary, pigs are exceptionally affectionate and social, their loyalty only outdone by their playfulness and lust for life. The intelligence of a pig is second to none within the animal world, and from our intensive interaction, a pig’s smarts is greater than that of our faithful canine companions. The social nature of a pig exceeds their own kind. Pigs are accepting and curious of all other animals, and gravitate towards us, humans. It is a sad point filled with irony that we humans are the greatest abuser of a pig’s trust. For they trust. Let us not downplay this quality. A pig will trust and remain loyal to anybody willing to accept their advances and return the love they naturally exude. They will form strong bonds with other pigs, forming family units of which they are fiercely protective. But, their ultimate goal is for a pleasant and warm event free life.
At the sanctuary we have experienced pigs in all stages of life. From newborn piglets to adults and the elderly. We have seen their bodies and individuality grow, as they are their own persona, no two are identical. Infant, childhood, adolescence, adults and the elderly. To have been given the opportunity to experience a pig’s lifespan is a gift, one that we never take for granted. We have seen pigs in all facets of background. In every circumstance, we have seen pigs turn their life and feelings around to become the pig that they wish to become. Pigs that have suffered at the hands of individuals or breeding facilities. Their end result is that of miracles, for they are a miraculous animal.
Pigs communicate via grunts, squeals, and other vocalisations. As the young race the ground, with adults in tow, they playfully grunt to the next as they jump ever so low, gathering speed to a volume that you may well be surprised. This play can last for a brief moment, to that of several minutes multiple times per day depending on age. One thing is for certain, a young pig will instill again the youth once lost within an older companion. They will dig with their uniquely shaped and designed nose. Such strength is demonstrated as they effortlessly raise rocks or posts, anything in their way to what they wish.
But, a happy pig is content. Their love of a human, and their needs being met are all that a pig truly desires. A full belly is a content pig. A visit from a human is their second vice. They are so much like our dog friends that we cheekily describe them as paddock puppies! And, just like our family dog, a pigs diet is and must be varied. There is a myth that pigs will eat anything. A myth that is often applied to our goat friends. Let me tell you it is so untrue. Pigs like what they like and leave what they don’t. Fruit and veg is important for nutrition, but they will select and let you know what not to bring back next time! We often ponder just where the diet myth came from? But, in an industry where pig grower and pig finisher pellets are their primary bland feed, it is no wonder that the myth is, again, industry generated.
And pigs are, by nature, super clean. Piglets, once open eyed, and able to stray from their mumma, will automatically go afar from their bedspace to toilet. They simply hate to foul where they lay. This act we must teach our dogs, yet pigs do it instinctively. It highlights the putridness of Andgar Piggery yet again, and the distaste and loathing the entrapped pigs must have felt. We have seen the beauty of pig birth on the sanctuary. Oh, how fortunate we consider ourselves. Little souls emerging from mumma pig, all the size of a newborn baby kitten. So delicate and tiny, eyes closed these round little balls will instinctively crawl to mum’s teat, those slightly lost will be given the most gentle of nudges by mother’s snout until they are firmly in place. And, to reiterate that trust, although a mum pig will protect her newborns to the end of the earth, she allowed us to gently caress her and her beautiful little offspring. Truly a heartfelt and forever remembered portion of our sanctuary journey. A natural birth, a far cry from the confines of a gestation crate.
A pigs memory serves to match their incredible intelligence. Can I tell you of a big beautiful boy that shared his time with us at Furever Farm some years ago? Abused. Abused to the point of physical scars and psychological damage. We would obtain this young boy, all of about a few months old, from a breeding facility 4 – 5 hours north of Adelaide. Thankfully, this establishment no longer exists, but at the time served as just another abusive piggery. We would “acquire” this boy as he sat locked within a filthy old bird aviary away from all the other pigs and piglets. Why? We will never know aside from the assumption of human evil, for this was the stereotype pig breeder, like something from “The Hills Have Eyes”.
Yes, we have met many detestable individuals. When we acquired him his little body would be full of welts and scars, as if to confirm whippings and beatings. Naturally, he was petrified, literally scared for his life. Upon reaching the sanctuary we would name him Mocha, as all animals within our care never go through life unnamed. But, our work of fixing and rehabilitating Mocha would be patient and last for months. Mocha’s natural trust was nowhere to be seen. He would not come near us within the length of a paddock, even huddling under a tree during a rainstorm. To let you know, pigs do not like heavy rain, yet we could do nothing to advance Mocha’s response. Should we go anywhere near Mocha he would shake uncontrollably. If we attempted to get closer he would physically urinate. This is what a damaged pig looks like.
A sentient being with no trust left in the world. Beaten and torn so badly that every notion of his natural being was crushed. Mocha was an empty shell. We would leave Mocha food and walk away. As time progressed, Mocha would come closer to the fence where we stood. Again, we would leave his food and walk away. For we knew that rehabilitation only ever occurs in stages. Baby step after baby step. If one has no patience, be warned that sanctuary life is not for you. Next, Mocha would allow us to climb the fence and place his bucket in front of him. Before long, Mocha would advance slowly, joining the other pigs in the paddock, delicately beginning to eat with them and mill around where we stood.
And then, in his time and without force, the most beautiful moment occurred. As we stood in our normal spot come feed time, Mocha gently walked up to us and greeted as pigs do. He touched his nose to our legs and permitted us to pat is tender head. As much as our hearts beat, we knew that this is what pigs do. They forgive.
And via perseverance and love we had a success story to carry forth. Without sanctuary, where do the “Mochas” of the world go?
Mocha would grow. He would never go back. He would grow to be the biggest domestic pig we have encountered. Easily tipping the scale at 400kg, Mocha was huge, a big loving gentle giant. And he would become our best friend. He would become the grandad, the big brother, the daddy, anything the other pigs in the paddock desired. From untouchable, Mocha would be a big cuddly bear. He would allow us, and the team, to lay beside his hulking body and wrap our arms around him while he snuggled his head into ours. Genuine in his newfound life, love was what exemplified our beautiful boy. But, deep in the recesses of his mind lay forever the damage that was done. They don’t forget, pigs. Their memory is too great for that. As much as he had turned a corner, should we move too quick, or a loud noise erupt, Mocha would jump nervously and you could see the resurrection of torment in his eyes for that brief second.
Mocha would be robbed of life by those who damaged him. A pre-existing injury created by his oppressors via blunt force trauma would resurface. Mocha had a cracked vertebrae. One day his massive frame would twist in movement and this vertebrae would snap also severing his spinal chord. Mocha had completely lost his back end, and no apparatus was going to aid such a heavy big boy. As we laid Mocha to rest we vowed that his memory would remain. The pigs space was named after him and a pledge continued to help as many animals as possible. As Mocha lays in grave we always stop to pay our respects. To the prime example of all that is pig. He was a truly amazing boy.
Which brings us to finish. Getting back to the extreme sense of pigs, and having attempted to speak of a true pig’s nature, we recall the pigs of Andgar. A pig’s nose is probably the central navigator of these truly remarkable beings. What their eyes cannot pick up, their nose deciphers from the surroundings. A pig’s snout is super sensitive. It can tell a pig of many things. It can smell joy, happiness, safety. It can also smell fear, danger and death. The pigs inside Andgar would have smelled their demise. They would have been fully knowledgeable of what was going on around them, they would have detested the surroundings, they would have felt their entrapment, their minds in need of freedom would have suffered intensely. As they walked over their fellow dead becoming trapped in decomposing bodies, some drowning in the sludge and blood, inexplainable terror, confusion and torment would have overcome. The psychological damage that would have been done would have been immovable.
We would love to be able to tell you that, given time, any survivors would have forgotten of their torture. But, we can’t do that. As touched upon in Mocha’s story, those poor souls would never have recovered from mental anguish. And, on that alone, the owners of Andgar Piggery should be prosecuted to beyond the full extent of the law. Their excuses of worker shortage are just that, a last gasp attempt to deflect the blame of torture. And all other piggeries should be demanded of closure. It has become highly evident that an industry self governed and self managed is simply a hive of misconduct, horror and neglect.
And, we must continue to lobby breeding facilities and slaughterhouses. The animal agriculture industry, in whole a sordid pit of cruelty, requires closure. We say, stop the slaughter. No-one needs to consume the murdered flesh, no-one. Please, we must close the killing fields and transition to compassion and kindness.
Pigs deserve to live harmoniously. All animals deserve the same.
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