Current Press Releases

58 Rescued Pigs Hop on Humane Train
in Largest Ever Pig Rescue and Adoption Effort

Watkins Glen, NYL- February 20, 2003 - On Thursday, February 20, at 10:00am, dozens of rescued pigs will depart Farm Sanctuary, the nation's largest farm animal rescue and protection organization, to begin their journey home to loving adoptive families in 11 different states. The event marks the largest ever pig rescue and adoption effort in the nation.

Farm Sanctuary launched the national effort to place over 75 pigs into permanent adoptive homes. Dozens of people responded, and adoptive homes were found for the pigs, some as far away as Texas and California. The compassionate response and great outpouring of national support for this effort demonstrates the nation's growing concern and commitment to the protection of farm animals. In the last elections, two and a half million people in Florida voted to outlaw gestation crates, tiny enclosures in which pregnant pigs spend the majority of their lives.

The pigs were rescued from a farm in Olean, New York, after Cattaraugus County SPCA officials responded to a complaint concerning 20 pigs left in a frozen field without food, water, or shelter during freezing December weather. Further investigation revealed 128 pigs, abandoned and left to die. Nine suffering pigs had to be immediately euthanized because of severe injuries. Some of the pigs were found frozen to the ground and still alive.

For the past six weeks, 53 of the pigs have been receiving veterinary care at Farm Sanctuary's New York shelter. The pigs were suffering from severe mange, abscesses, skin wounds, upper respiratory and ear infections, diarrhea, stomach bloating and other ailments. Some of the pigs went to Cornell Veterinary School for emergency treatments and surgeries, and all of the male pigs (26 total) were neutered once they were healthy.

The pigs are being taken to adoptive homes that share Farm Sanctuary's belief that pigs should be companions, not food. All the pigs will now live out the remainder of their natural lives as cherished members of their new families. According to Lorri Bauston, Farm Sanctuary Executive Director, "Most Americans are horrified at the thought of someone eating a dog, yet pigs are as sociable and intelligent as any other animal. We hope more people will see pigs as friends, rather than dinner, and realize that farm animals deserve our kindness and love too." Further information on the pig rescue story and individual pig adoptions can be found on the Farm Sanctuary website at www.farmsanctuary.org.

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.