Pig transport overturns killing 20

Arkansas State Police say a tractor-trailer rig hauling pigs overturned on a major highway. The spill, which shut down part of the Interstate, killed at least 20 pigs.  Others, the lucky ones, escaped.

What struck me about the article is the blatant disregard for the loss of sentient life.  Of course, these animals were most likely off to slaughter anyway so the deaths were probably seen as profit loss rather than loss of life.

Pigs, on the human intelligence scale, are third removed from humans.  Primates and dolphins are the only animals smarter than pigs.  Pigs have the ability to learn something in a situation and apply it to another situation.  That’s pretty awesome.  Plus, pigs are cute.  I have proof.  See Exhibit A:  A cute pig friend living at Farm Sanctuary (Watkins Glen, NY).

But sadly, it’s common to butcher a pig at 5 to 6 months of age.  Percentage wise, this means that most pigs have 95% stolen from them.  95%!  Pigs are highly intelligent and social creatures that deserve better than 5% of life.

Click here to learn about a pig rescue group, the Pigs Peace Sanctuary in Stanwood, WA.  It reminds me that, through the daily horror that is the factory farming business, there is hope.  And that is just what I need to keep me motivated to continue my own animal activism.  Hope.