The Story of Elsie

Earlier this week, I got an email from Judy at Pigs Peace Sanctuary. In case you’ve missed my other posts about it, Pigs Peace is a wonderful sanctuary for pigs (and other animals) about an hour north of Seattle. Judy emailed me with the story of Elsie, a piglet who came to Pigs Peace this week. Elsie’s story/a message from Judy:

On Sunday afternoon a man in a pick-up truck on Highway 2 was carrying a crate filled with piglets in the bed of his truck. He slammed on his brakes, the crate broke open and, as he made a sharp turn, each piglet fell out onto the highway to be hit by cars and killed. All but one! A man who was driving on Highway 2 and witnessed this stopped traffic and saved the piglet and brought her to Pigs Peace. She is VERY sick with pneumonia on top of recovering from trauma and a damaged leg. She is very afraid of people. ALL support to help this survivor would be a great help.

This piglet is Elsie. I find her story to be particularly moving and heartbreaking in part because it is not unique. Many of the pigs at Pigs Peace have faced violence, cruelty, neglect and abandonment before making it to Pigs Peace. Many were destined for meat production. Others were kept as ‘pets’ in hoarding situations. And others, like Ziggy (the three-legged pig), were kept as ‘freaks’ in roadside zoos or as other sources of entertainment. Judy works tirelessly to take amazingly good care of the pigs and provide them with comfort, safety and love. For the most part, Judy does it all on her own. She is out there 365 days a year from dawn till dusk keeping the sanctuary going. And she could use help! Pigs Peace is in constant need of monetary and volunteer support. Unlike some other sanctuaries, donations to Pigs Peace go entirely to the feeding, upkeep and medical care of the pigs.

This is a particularly tough time, as there is an influx of piglets at this time of year in need of regular medical attention and vet visits in order to make sure they survive. If you’re near Seattle and can volunteer, I know Judy would love the help. If you’re not in the area, or don’t have the time to volunteer in Stanwood, please consider a one-time or monthly donation to Pigs Peace to help Judy continue her compassionate work for the pigs.

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