Pearl the pig is living the good life after being rescued by Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers off the side of a road.
The tiny piglet likely fell from a transport truck bound for slaughter. Luckily, kind-hearted patrol troopers hurried to her rescue, digging through roadside vegetation and pulling Pearl to safety. She had no major injuries, just a bit of road rash.
The troopers brought the sweet little pig to the Ross County Humane Society, where she was named Pearl Pancetta. Because the facility lacks resources or space to care for pigs, Pearl was kept at an employee’s home until she could be adopted. The humane society’s executive director, Jenn Thomas, said: “I think she’s fabulous—a lucky pig for sure.”
Pearl didn’t have to wait long! Erica Cornwell of Sunbury, Ohio, heard about the little pig while on vacation and chose to adopt her without even seeing a picture. Already the proud mom of three potbelly pigs, Erica has been intermittently caring for pigs for the past 17 years. She shared that she was “excited to get her and give her a good home and not on someone’s plate” and said:
Pearl gets her own gated area, and she’ll be pampered until all the pigs get used to her, and then she’ll become a lot bigger than them, and she, I’m assuming, will be the little alpha pig.
Animal Transport
While this story has a happy ending, most farmed animals transported to slaughter aren’t so lucky. As young as six weeks old, chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals are crammed into trucks and sent to slaughter. Conditions are so abysmal that, according to an analysis, over 20 million animals die each year on their journeys.
Once they reach the slaughterhouses, their short lives come to a terrifying end. These animals deserve better. Do your part to create a kinder, more sustainable food system by choosing delicious plant-based foods. Download our FREE How to Eat Veg guide to get started.
