When floods ravaged the Midwest this summer and submerged swaths of farmland and agricultural buildings, thousands of pigs were killed. Some died trapped in factory farm enclosures. Others, loosed from their confinement, had a fleeting chance to run and swim for their lives. A small group made their way onto a levy, but were shot and killed by officials worried that the pigs could damage the earthen structure.

But once Farm Sanctuary and our partnering organizations procured an invitation from the state to intervene and coordinate one of the most ambitious and complex farm animal rescues in history, other surviving pigs that made it to dry land were left alone.  Farm Sanctuary’s emergency rescue team with representatives from other animal rescue groups scoured the area to find survivors, walking miles of levies and woodlands. In the end, we saved more than sixty very desperate pigs – most of them suffering from a variety of ailments and some of them pregnant – and we brought all of them to Farm Sanctuary. Seeing the scores of rescued animals enter our barns and immediately start nesting and rutting, experiencing soil under their hooves rather than concrete, and kindness in place of cruelty, was breathtaking. Pigs who once feared humans are welcoming our affection and returning it with joy.

This was a grueling rescue that lasted several weeks in hostile surroundings. Along with harsh environmental obstacles, the rescue team confronted a callous attitude toward farm animals and a disregard for the feelings of these sentient creatures. Thankfully, we were able to persuade local officials to let the rescue to go forward and to grant custody of the pigs to Farm Sanctuary. The recent floods helped peel back the walls of the hidden world of factory farming, freeing some individuals and allowing their stories to be told. They will be ambassadors for the millions who are crowded in warehouses, crated in bars, living on hard slatted floors, suffering outside of public view.

I am very proud of our dedicated team and sanctuary workers who are now providing these animals with the best care possible. Please consider supporting this rescue, or helping to find homes for pigs. Thank you.