The Story of Boris The Pig - an update

 

AN UPDATE ON BORIS THE PIG

Our club’s Animal Rights Activism Coordinator, Kevin, has a grateful friend up in Yorkshire.  He’s called Boris and he’s a cute friendly pig.  The tales of how Boris came to enjoy a lovely tranquil existence at Middleton’s Magical Barn is an interesting story.

A sanctuary volunteer just reported that Boris is going great.  He’s now integrated well with the other pigs. When Boris first arrived he was a little wary and sometimes nippy - perhaps not surprising having been a solitary piglet at a school.  Today he is well settled and highly sociable.  But how did he get here?

It started with Paul Youd, a vegan activist and ultra running friend of Kevin.  Paul was at the check-out buying his beans and plant milk when he exchanged a few casual words with one Jennifer Glasby on the vegan topic.  It was those chance words at the checkout that changed the destiny of Boris from bacon to bliss.  It also led to Jennifer and her daughter going vegan.

It was not long afterward meeting Paul when Jennifer’s now vegan daughter returned from school distraught !   Boris was on death row.  Jennifer consulted Paul.

Paul immediately set to work by writing to the headmaster.  This was June 2022. 

Paul had made a strong case appealing to the headmaster with multiple arguments.

For example his letter included: “What kind of a message will this action send to your students? That it’s OK to kill some animals, but not others? After all, you wouldn’t do this to the school’s pet dog, now would you? What is the difference? Pigs are sentient - they are also intelligent, as smart as a 3yr-old child.

The headmaster was defensive but intransigent.  His provocative counter arguments included “raising a pig teaches children about farming”. 

Paul spread the word across his extensive network.  As the date of Boris’ execution drew near Paul made a last desperate plea for mercy that included: “I’ve now heard that Boris is to be sent for slaughter on the 27th. Will you be sending along some children to witness this appalling deed? I doubt that very much - pig slaughter is a horrendous experience. Most pigs in this country are lowered into a gas chamber full of CO2. The gas turns the liquid in the pig’s body to acid and the pig dies choking for air and burning inside from the acid. It takes several minutes for the pigs to die - and in their struggles to escape they often tear off their hooves, such is their desperation. Well now, you wouldn’t want the children to see that, now, would you?”

Paul’s plea went unanswered but by this point Kevin had become aware and he acted with urgency. With just a few days to go, Kevin intervened with the generous offer of £500 from his own pocket to school funds in exchange for Boris’ freedom.

Paul and Kevin then initiated a fundraiser.  “Please help! I’ve just accidentally bought a pig!” was the opening line of Kevin’s attention grabbing appeal on his facebook page.

Kevin made a just-in-time intervention. He personally contracted with the school to buy young Boris. Although the schools had planned an ‘educational termination’ for the pig, headmaster Mark Williams couldn’t justify refusing Kevin’s generous offer.

The next immediate challenge was finding Boris a new home.  Rhi and Matt Swain were a local vegan family who offered a temporary home joining their rescued sheep and hens.  They found Boris to be very friendly – he loved tummy tickles and apples!   And so this ten-month-old resident of Kingsmead Community School, Wiveliscombe, escaped his premature death.

Paul and Kevin then progressed with the dual challenges of raising the funds for veterinary treatment and finding Boris a permanent residence

Boris was obviously bored being confined to a barn.  With the help of some friends Rhi & Matt put up some stock fencing so Boris had some outdoor space.  Now he ran and jumped for joy. And he responded to calls of his name and loved company.

By 29th June Boris was looking wonderfully relaxed in his new home with Rhi and Matt.  (Photo below is when Kevin paid a visit.) ,

Rhi and Matt felt sure that Boris ideally needed the company of other pigs, but they did not have the space to take on more.  They began a search for a suitable forever-home sanctuary that already had pigs.

Sanctuaries required Boris be castrated before he could be accommodated.  With help from Viva on fundraising an £800 operation was arranged.  None of the local sanctuaries had room.  It not until October when Rhi and Matt took Boris on a 5-hour drive to Millington’s Magical Barn near Leeds. 

 

Jake at Millington’s kept them updated on Boris' progress.  He was reported to have settled in well (after the expected few early day scuffles with a few resident pigs)!  He was living his best life with friends and lots of volunteer love and cuddles, but Rhi and Matt still miss him like crazy.

An abbreviated version of the story was reported in Viva! Life. 

Viva are attempting to address the fundamental issue - that schools raise farm animals for slaughter in an attempt to ‘educate.   The school described it as their “agriculture program”.  Some might consider it an indoctrination scheme.  For some pupils such as Jennifer’s daughter the process has ‘unintended consequences’.

Viva started a petition against this practice.  You can sign it here.

And to conclude with Paul Youd’s take on this story: - “Never stop spreading the message!”

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