I recently had the honor of celebrating a very special milestone - the six-month birthday of Maple, a piglet that was rescued from a slaughterhouse by a group of kind-hearted individuals led by Chicagoland Pig Rescue. It was a joyous occasion because pigs generally do not live past six months. As we celebrated Maple's life, we also remembered her siblings who were not as fortunate and did not survive the inhumane conditions of factory farming.
Sadly, pigs and other farm animals are often born into a life of confinement and cruelty, where they are also subjected to viruses and dis-ease and die before becoming adults. The demand for pork is so high that these animals are treated as nothing more than commodities.
That's why it's so wonderful that Maple was rescued by Chicagoland Pig Rescue and the team of volunteers who cared for her until she was strong enough to be transported to the Odd Man Inn vegan farm sanctuary in Tennessee. Maple's journey to freedom was not an easy one. She had to overcome a serious virus called PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome), before going to her forever home. But thanks to the love and dedication of her rescuers, she was able to make a full recovery and start living her best life.
Maple and other pigs who are so very fortunate enough to be rescued from the terror of factory farms and slaughterhouses are small in number in comparison to 9.2 billion animals who die each year for the global food trade (1). So many animals like Maple, never get to grow up with their mom and siblings and have no idea what love is or means.
Maple's story is a reminder that there is hope for farm animals and that we can all make a difference by supporting organizations like Chicagoland Pig Rescue who are working tirelessly to end animal cruelty.
Thank you to everyone at Chicagoland Pig Rescue, the Odd Man Inn and everyone else involved in Maple's rescue for showing us what it means to truly care for animals and for making the world a better place, one piglet at a time.
Resources:
Block, Kitty. “More animals than ever before—92.2 billion—are used and killed each year for food.” A Humane World Blog. 2023, June 6th.
