Early in 2019, 200 pigs were discovered, barely surviving at an illegal slaughterhouse in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Emaciated, starving and close to death, they had survived by eating whatever they could... building debris, bits of old cars strewn around the site and the corpses of their dead brethren, those unlucky souls who had already succumbed to this hell-on-Earth in which they had been consigned to end their tragic lives.
Officials quickly rehomed many of the pigs, but 53 of them - perhaps the most desperate ones, perhaps those who had fought hardest to survive - were condemned to be slaughtered under a Government 'Destruction Order'. The reason for this was that, because they had been forced to eat the carcasses of their fellow prisoners, there was a risk they might now be diseased.
After all they'd been through, their 'rescuers' were now condemning them to be put to death! And that is where their story would have ended, but for the compassion, commitment and dedication of one woman, Sasha Bennet who was not going to sit back and watch the destruction of these 53 innocent boys and girls. After a nine-month legal battle, with help from an amazing firm of solicitors, Advocates for Animals, Sasha won the right to rehome these traumatised survivors at her animal sanctuary 'Beneath The Wood'.
During their time in the Government holding facility, however, some of the pigs had given birth so the herd had grown to 74 and soon after they arrived at Beneath The Wood Sanctuary, more piglets were born, bringing their total number to 91. This unexpected influx of extra piggies was not going to stop Sasha, however, who along with a small and dedicated team of helpers, set about starting to raise funds for the feeding, care and intensive upkeep of the new guests.
Thus was born the Pigoneer 2000 Club, a Global Vegan Crowdfunder campaign to help ensure the pigs would never go hungry again. Now that the piglets are grown and each weighs up to half a tonne, they each cost £1.80 a day to feed. Although this might not sound like very much, when you multiply that by 91 the total cost is around £5000 per month. The aim of the Club is to find 2,000 volunteers (or Pigoneers, as we are called) to each commit to donating just £2.50 a month to cover these costs.
It wasn't just the feeding, housing and mucking-out that needed attending to. These pigs had been through Hell and come out the other side, but it had left them scarred and traumatised by the experience and they had to be shown love. They had be shown that not all humans are monsters.
If you can spare just £2.50 a month and would like to become a Pigoneer, then please visit the Fundraiser page here. With your help, we can do this.
But let's not sit on our laurels. These pigs were the lucky ones. There are many, many more who are suffering untold torture, misery and death every single day. So before I go, I want to share another message from Sasha Bennet:
"There's so many pigs that need help! I rescued 91 from one cruelty case. There are lots more 91 pigs out there to be rescued. Anyone can rescue them. It just takes some commitment, but anyone could do it." Please help show your support by hitting the Tweet button below and sharing the story of the 91 Pigs. |