One thing we pride ourselves on is always providing excellent care for our rescued animals. Sometimes this means recognizing that there may be a better experience for an individual animal than the one we can provide. Yeah, yeah we all know the sentiment, “if you love someone set them free” but damn that can be hard!
Pigs, like all of us, have their own unique personalities and quirks. Pigs also have a very established hierarchical structure—no matter how large the herd is. Maybelle and Annabelle were a herd of two at The Hey Friend Foundation with Maybelle being subordinate to Anna. Maybelle was very comfortable being bossed by Anna, but bossy-at-heart herself, she longed to be able to boss another. There were no other pigs her size, just humans! At The Hey Friend Foundation we are limited to a set amount of pigs, so a large herd wasn’t an option for us but it was for Farm Sanctuary.
After consulting with the farm animal behavior experts at Farm Sanctuary, it was determined it would be in the best interest for Maybelle and Anna to return to the expansive pastures of Farm Sanctuary’s New York shelter. After acclimating to their new surroundings, the pair was introduced to pigs Ben David and Cameron, who also needed a herd and matriarchal figures. Maybelle established dominance over these smaller, younger pigs, thus fulfilling her destiny as the sweet-but-sassy older sister she had been dreaming to be.
Anna and Maybelle are doing great, healthy and happy. You can visit them at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY! Our aching hearts were helped by the arrival of Wallace, Gromit and Veronique and constant updates on our girls Anna and Maybelle!
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