A pregnant pig named Matilda has captured the hearts of the nation after escaping from a commercial farm and giving birth to a litter of beautiful piglets in a nearby woods near Ollerton, Nottinghamshire.
Matilda was destined to be slaughtered for the meat trade when she made her escape in a desperate bid to save herself and her babies. She managed to get as far as a nearby wood before giving birth to her new family and raising them there for about three weeks in secret. Despite having a cruel ring through her nose which stops her rooting for food, she stayed with her babies as she grew hungrier and hungrier, determined to care for them no matter what. It was there that she was spotted by a walker, Anna Aston and her dog Pugsley. Anna quickly contacted Brinsley Animal Rescue, a local animal sanctuary near the site, who agreed to give the happy family a permanent, safe and loving home where Matilda could bring up her piglets in peace. However, the farmer had other ideas. Before the sanctuary could rescue the pigs from the wood, they were recaptured by the farmer and taken back to Warren Farm, Haughton, Retford DN22 8DY so that Matilda could be slaughtered and her babies mutilated. It seems that for the farmer, who owns Wolds Farm Breeding Ltd and supplies Marks and Spencer with meat from those slaughtered pigs, profits come before principles. But Matilda had allies... Having been moved by her story, people were not about to let this happen. A petition was quickly set up to appeal for Matilda's release to the rescue centre, Marks and Spencer were lobbied to put pressure on the farmer and a demonstration was rapidly mobilised. And it worked! Within a very short space of time, eager to avoid any further adverse publicity, M&S spoke with their supplier, the farmer negotiated with Brinsley Animal Rescue and less than an hour before the demonstration was due to take place, it was confirmed that the whole family had been relocated to their temporary haven at the sanctuary and are soon go to a permanent home at Surge Sanctuary, safe and sound to live out their lives in peace, cared for by people who see them as individuals and not just products. Thank you to everyone involved - we did it! |