Pig Wrestling

When visiting Kevin & Francis yesterday, we noticed some curious behaviour.  Are the boys wrestling, posing for the camera or starting to get a little frisky?  I am reading a book, The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery.  She has a pet pig (700 pounds worth) that loves belly rubs.  Apparently many pigs appreciate this and will roll onto their backs to accommodate it.  Sy has even achieved this with a rhinoceros!  I tried with Kevin and Francis but only managed a brief roll on the ground.

A New Tactic

Computer hacking didn't work for the Bacon Bros.  Perhaps this new ploy will prove more successful.

I did warn Kevin & Francis to be a little more sensitive when making jokes about religion but they were not deterred, "Anything goes when on death row".

Pig Girl

Oh no!  Too many visits to the pigs.  She has been making snorting noises when she laughs as well.

Wilbur 101

Photo: Dave Blackey/Getty Images

Radio National is conducting an experiment where listeners can (supposedly) influence the practice of rearing a pig named Wilbur 101.  A poll was conducted to determine if Wilbur 101 should be castrated.  The voters said ‘No’ but the farmers used their veto power and decided to castrate him anyway.  The reason for this is explained in an article by Tammi Jonas.

I appreciate Tammi’s enthusiasm for transparency in farming and think that an experiment such as this one helps to bring the issues of animal agriculture to the attention of the public.  I don’t really understand the point of having a poll though if it can be overridden when the results don’t match the desired outcome.

When reading the original article regarding the poll, I felt that there was a bias toward castration and very little information was provided about the process or possible alternatives.  I will be curious to see what future decisions are presented or if the experiment is abandoned altogether.

Aarod chose not to castrate Kevin and Francis and I personally think this was a great decision... and no doubt they agree.

My own poll from 17 May is not working, so I have removed it from the blog.  Apologies to those that voted but the results were not tallying.  I was very interested to see the results, so feel free to post comments instead.

Free Range

Free range is by far the exception, rather than the rule in Australia.  Free range conditions should be the bare minimum, rather than a niche market.  Such a change would require Australians to drastically decrease their meat consumption though.  Scalability is something I plan to discuss in another post.

I applaud Aarod for trying to improve welfare standards for animals in the meat industry.  The ultimate outcome for animals being raised for meat is the same though ie. a knife to the throat or a bullet to the head.

Freedom Hill visit

Today I visited the animal sanctuary, Freedom Hill. I was joined by Aarod and his dad, Michael.

Freedom Hill is a sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills for rescued farm animals.  They currently have 22 residents, including sheep, cows, horses, goats and chickens.  One of the bulls, Trevor, is the biggest I have ever seen. The photo does not do him justice.

We were introduced to all the animals by Kym, who shared some amazing stories of how each of the residents came to be at Freedom Hill.  Some of the stories were truly horrific, so it was wonderful to now see them living happy lives in a beautiful setting.

At the end of our visit, Kym offered Aarod the opportunity to bring Kevin & Francis to live at Freedom Hill permanently, should he choose to spare them from slaughter.  We'll have to wait and see what comes of that offer.

I was amazed at the sacrifices that Kym and her family have made in order to establish Freedom Hill and was inspired by their dedication. Please visit their website if you would like to support them.

Survey says...

A survey has been created for residents of the Aldinga Arts EcoVillage to ascertain who would like to purchase pork and what cuts they would prefer.

I felt that there was a question missing, so I have decided to host my own poll here on Piggy Predicament.  Whilst people will be given the choice of ribs, sausage, chops, tail, brain, heart (amongst others), there was no mention of which of the two pigs you would like to eat.  So, will you be eating Kevin, Francis, both or neither?  Please vote using the poll on the right of screen.