5 little piggies who won’t go to market!

Hello again!

I have told you before that there is much more to Animal Tracks than cats, dogs and cattle. You've read about rabbits, birds, and other exotic animals and today I’m going to tell you the sad story of eight little orphan piglets. They were brought to Animal Tracks from the village of Aldona by a kind soul who could not simply leave them to their fate after their mother died.

Being less than two weeks old, the piglets need feeding every three hours so the team is busy making sure they get adequate nutrition. The vets put together their diet and the kennel staff ensure that the food is given to them around the clock. A cosy little nest has been made for them in one of the puppy cages. I’m not meant to go in there but I just had to sneak in one afternoon to have a look at these funny looking little things. They are so sweet but sadly, owing to infection and the stress of being separated from their mother only five piglets remain. Being so young their immune systems are not fully developed, so it is easy for them to fall prey to disease and, as in humans, stress weakens their immune system as well.

The remaining five piglets are doing great now and they have already grown a lot. The plan is to let them grow bigger and stronger and then find a suitable home for them with a farming family. We have to be careful though because, although there are a lot of takers for this little bunch, not all are looking to give them a loving home. In Goa there are many Catholic families who eat pork – unlike the Hindus – and many such families breed pigs to sell for slaughter. A pig can earn a family around Rs 2000/- (approximately £27), which is a lot of money here. Needless to say, none of us at the centre would want to send these cuties off to such a fate. I'm doing my best to spot the bad guys and take a careful sniff around anyone who enquires about the piglets.

I'll be in touch later to let you know what happens. In the meantime keep checking out my blog and the International Animal Rescue website for lots of interesting stories about the charity’s exciting projects.

Big hugs from me!