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Petting Zoo Refugee Finds Home At Farm Sanctuary

After spending his first months cuddled by children, piglet was bound for slaughter.

Orland, CA - August 29, 2007 - Late last week, Farm Sanctuary rescued a 4-month-old piglet destined for slaughter. The piglet, now named Linus, had spent the first months of his life in a petting zoo at a children's camp in California. On loan from a farm, Linus was to be sent to market after the camp ended.

Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, stepped up to provide a lifelong home for Linus at its California Shelter, located in Orland, Calif. The shelter currently houses more than 400 farm animals rescued from abuse and neglect.

"Petting zoos are not the innocuous places they are presumed to be. Often the animals incarcerated there are maintained in sub-par conditions and treated as commodities," said Leanne Cronquist, California Shelter manager. "In this instance, the piglet was kept in a concrete pen at the camp. To cool themselves off on hot days, pigs roll in water and mud-this animal had access to neither."

Petting zoos often breed animals, or borrow baby animals from farms, as in this case, to keep a steady supply of youngsters on hand for visitors to pet and bottle feed. Once these baby animals outgrow their use, they are often sent to slaughter.

"I'm sure most visitors to petting zoos don't realize that these orphaned animals are kept solely for amusement purposes and are cycled through each season, only to meet an untimely death," added Cronquist. "We hope that Linus' story will inform the public about the inherent cruelty of petting zoos, and that families would rather choose to visit a sanctuary, where these animals are granted access to natural surroundings and a full life. Nothing compares to seeing a pig create his own mud puddle or a cozy nest of straw."

Once older and stronger, Linus will be introduced to the main pig herd at the California Shelter, where he will be able to roam and root in the pasture at the 300-acre refuge for farm animals.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.