Piggy Paradise? "It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions." —Mark Twain   OK, let's talk about pigs. They are perhaps the most misunderstood of all creatures. We often think of them as fat, lazy, dirty, greedy or dumb. But to the contrary, pigs have one of the highest measured IQs of all animals. While pigs do enjoy laying in a muddy pool to keep the flies away (much like the elephant, water buffalo and other well-liked critters), they are very tidy creatures when given the opportunity. They even have designated bathroom areas away from where they eat and sleep. Pigs also enjoy human love and friendship, and have at times saved the lives of those they love. For instance, take the story of Priscilla the pig. She, her little 11-year-old friend Anthony Melton, and his mom, Carol Buck, had gone to Houston Lake for a quiet swim. Anthony inadvertently swam too far from shore and panicked, starting to sink. His mother watched helplessly, not knowing what to do. Priscilla recognized her master's danger and ran into the water. She swam toward him, and when Anthony got a hold of her leash, Priscilla towed him safely to shore. 1   But how are these intelligent, social creatures treated in the farm factories of today? Is it with love and tender concern for their mental, physical and emotional sensitivities? Far from it. Pigs are mass-raised in one of two forms. One leaves them parked side by side in narrow shoots, allowing them to only lay down or stand, without the option of turning around or even moving more than a few steps forward or backward. 2 This, however, leaves a lot of wasted space, so a more productive method was thought up: stacking them one above the other! 3 Not too bad for the one on top, but the one on the bottom gets all the manure from the one above raining down on him. In either method of production, the outcome is the same: an overwhelming stench. Ammonia eats away at the animals' lungs, soon they no longer eat, and shortly they succumb to pneumonia. 4 Because they are naturally so careful to not soil their own living quarters, and are then forced to live in its aroma their entire lives, causing them to suffer extreme mental stress. It is understandable why animals often go crazy in short order in these kinds of warehouses.   In cloven-footed animals the outside claw is typically longer than the inside, which on natural terrain is no problem because it can sink into the ground. But in the factories the floors are not as forgiving. The pigs often develop painful lesions on their feet, and in order to get relief from the pain they adopt abnormal positions, which in turn stresses other joints and muscles. 5 However we are told that these types of floors, ...seem to have more merit than disadvantage. The animal will usually be slaughtered before serious deformity sets in. Farmer and Stockbreeder, July 11, 1961. 6 Normally a sow will have about six piglets a year; however, this does not turn out enough pigs to supply the demand. Therefore, pork producers have found ways to manipulate nature and brag that they are getting more than 20 piglets per sow per year. How? First, they have genetically engineered today's pigs to produce bigger litters at a time. Then they take the babies away at the earliest moment (which is at about 3 weeks of age, far short of the usual 13-17 weeks), pump the sow with hormones that bring her into cycle, and start the process over again. 7 The breeding sow should be thought of, [and] treated as, a valuable piece of machinery, whose function is to pump out baby pigs like a sausage machine. National Hog and Farmer, March, 1978. 8 Mother pigs are very good, attentive and protective mothers, and when their babies are taken, they have one driving determination: to find and care for their babies. But their cries go unheeded as they are prepared for the next round. 9   When accused of not producing healthy pigs, the industry tells us that the pigs are heavier now than ever before, therefore they must be healthier than before too. Somehow that just doesn't seem to add up. People who are overweight are not considered healthy, much less healthier than those with appropriate weights, so why should we think otherwise with pigs? 10 One look at their food and water should tell us how healthy they really are. Their food is laced with antibiotics, sulfa drugs and recycled wastes, which more often than not contain drug residues, high levels of toxic, heavy metals, like arsenic, lead and copper, or products fabricated in laboratories. Perhaps the diet that comes closest to natural, but is still a far cry, is that of raw poultry or pig manure. And what about water? It is often their own urine recycled. 11 As a general rule, the industry has been very successful in meeting its goal. Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like a machine in a factory. Schedule treatments like you would lubrication. Breeding like the first step in an assembly line. And marketing like the delivery of finished goods. Hog Farm Management, September 1976. 12   Is our choice of diet necessitating this kind of obscene and senseless cruelty to these sensitive, intelligent creatures that God has entrusted to our care? All rights reserved Copyright © 2006 By J. Lee