As reported by the Associated Press, Lynnette Warren’s pig sanctuary, Pigs A Lot, in Cortaro, Ariz., has become a haven for cast-off potbellied pigs and their crossbred cousins.
Vietnamese potbellied pigs were once valued as exotic pets for their temperament, size and intelligence, reaching a height in popularity with pet owners in the late 1980s. But, when owners were eventually forced to deal with the habits and size of a full-grown potbellied pig of 50 to 75 pounds, or a pig of 100 to 300 pounds if crossbred, the uniqueness of owning a pig as a pet quickly lost its allure.
Warren says, “I call it a fad that went bad.”
Warren says she shelters more than 150 pets at her sanctuary. The animals are residents possibly for the rest of their lives — or until they are adopted. To help feed and care for them, Warren raised more than $15,000 in donations last year. She says she carefully screens adoptive owners and checks them afterward.
“I won’t adopt out the big ones because more than likely the people want to adopt them and put them in their freezer,” said Warren.
Source: The Associated Press, June 16, 2000
SOUTH AFRICANS RESCUE ZIMBABWE PETS
Reuters News Service reports that a group of South African pet lovers has organized an air rescue for cats and dogs caught up in the violence of war in neighboring Zimbabwe.
The rescue has been organized in response to television footage last April, showing scenes of farm pets being beaten to death or maimed by war veterans invading white-owned farms.
Johannesburg-based Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre has receive a permit to bring 100 animals over, 10 pets at a time, on British Airways.
Source: Reuters, June 14, 2000