It’s not easy rescuing pigs in Israel. In 1962 a law was passed making it illegal to raise pigs on Israeli soil, with the exclusion of scientific institutes and zoos. Only a small number of places are allowed to breed pigs for research purposes, when in actuality 60% of the pigs are slaughtered for food.
Therefore, the effort to rescue pigs took months. Every time we thought we would be able to rescue and adopt pigs, the newly prepared nursery for piglets remained empty. Following a long process, and in co-operation with Let the Animals Live, we were finally successful.
One of the few pig breeders in the country was moved when he heard about the Freedom Farm Sanctuary. He wasn’t willing to be identified, but he decided to donate male piglets. The doors opened and we received two terrified pink little creatures into our arms.
They were only two months old, but had already gone through hell.
Throughout the world, pig farms operate the same way. At the age of one week Yossi and Omri were brutally castrated without any anaesthesia, because there is a belief that the castration makes their meat taste better. Their tails were docked and their teeth were clipped. These horrors occur daily in pig pens due to the terrible over-crowded conditions which make the pigs develop violent behaviors.
These two sweet babies were so afraid of humans upon their arrival, that they ran to the other side of the room every time we opened the door.
Pigs are highly intelligent. In fact, they are the fourth most intelligent mammal, smarter than dogs. Studies show that a pig is capable of understanding as much as a five-year-old human child. Therefore, it only took a couple of days for them to realize that at FFS they were safe. Instead of running away, they began running towards us for food and cuddles.
We named the first pig Yossi, after Yossi Wolfson, the lawyer for Let the Animals Live without whom the pigs would not have been saved. The second pig was named Omri, after Omri Paz, the founder of Vegan Friendly who has done so much for animals in Israel.
Nowadays, these two little sweethearts run around snorting all over the farm, exploring everything and seeking comfortable places to take naps.
Genetically modified by the meat industry to gain weight at the rate of about a kilo per day, at nine months old Yossi and Omri have reached the weight of 200 kilos. Those who modified their genes never cared how badly these modifications would hinder their lives, because the pigs were “products” never intended to live past the age of slaughter at six months. Veterinarians have not seen pigs reach the age of maturity, so the best guess is that they will grow to a weight between 250 and 300 kilos.
Our greatest hope is for Yossi and Omri to become ambassadors for the 220,000 piglets slaughtered in Israel every year.
