‘Out of control’

Animal rights advocates want to regulate swimming pig attractions

Not long ago, the novelty of swimming with pigs off the shore of an uninhabited Bahama island elicited squeals of delight — and selfies aplenty.

Now, copycat attractions across The Bahamas are provoking concerns about mistreatment from animal rights advocates who are calling for regulation, inspection and limits on the number of swimming swine attractions.

If Kim Aranha, president of The Bahamas Humane Society, had her way, the government would outlaw the strange endeavor altogether.

“It’s completely out of control,” Aranha said in a telephone interview. “As an animal advocate, I hate it.”

Aranha said the “swimming with pigs” phenomenon began years ago when some tourists boating through the Exuma chain noticed a group of pigs wandering around the beach of uninhabited Big Major Cay. As their boat approached, some of the pigs began swimming toward it.

“Pigs will do anything for food,” Aranha said.

She estimated that more than 20 attractions have sprung up in recent years across the island chain — each offering tourists the opportunity to wade or boat in shallow waters as pigs beg them for scraps of food.

“People are traveling from Finland and Japan to see swimming pigs,” she said. “Guys who operate boats on New Providence charge $300 to $400 to see swimming pigs and people will actually pay it so they can take pictures next to swimming pigs.”

water and they were not allowed back on the beach every time they tried to get back onto shore, and they are fighting for their lives, and people are just trying to take photos with them, it was horrible.”

Fisher said she chose not to participate further in the excursion, which cost $30 per person. In an interview via Messenger, she said she was surprised at “how everyone there could see how unusual it was and still chose to participate.” mas for decades. In 1954, a news

Peter Adderley, public relations tidbit distributed to numerous U.S. consultant for Celebrity Eco Adnewspapers reported that “wild ventures, said in a telephone interpigs found on some Bahamas isview that the owners rebut any lands … often go to sea, swimming accusations that pigs are misfrom island to island in search of treated. The critics quoted “have No one quite knows when the food or to escape the dogs of never ever taken the tour,” he said. first encounter between tourists huntsmen.”

Earlier this month, the Baha“We have trained dolphins and and swimming pigs took place on Aranha and a colleague, Tip mas Tribune published portions of horses for horseback riding, and Big Major Kay in the Exumas. The Burrows, executive director of the a social media post and photos never, never, never has the Huearliest mention of swimming pigs Humane Society of Grand Bahafrom a Canadian travel blogger mane Society given an account or as an Exuma tourist attraction in ma, have been lobbying tourism criticizing treatment of pigs at a criticism of the way those operathe archives of the website newsand agriculture officials to regulate Freeport attraction called Celebritions are run.” papers.com was in the London pathe copycat attractions. ty Eco Adventures. Adderley said the pen that per The Guardian in 2002. They are concerned about the

Writing on her Facebook page Fisher saw houses only pigs in the Since then, the Exuma pigs have apparent lack of freshwater and under the handle Kennidy From morning until the first excursion, been the subject of numerous meshade in the holding pen at the Canada, blogger Kennidy Fisher and they are taken afterward to dia accounts, including a book and Freeport attraction, and want the said she signed up for the excuranother pen for rest, water and movie, “Pigs of Paradise,” engovernment to set down rules prosion expecting the “beautiful and food before the next excursion. dorsed by The Bahamas’ official tecting pigs from sunburn and rewonderful” Exuma experience They sleep in a pen on the island, tourism promotion agency. They quiring they get proper shelter, she had heard about. are fed well, and are treated by the were featured on the hit ABC realiclean fresh water, and appropriate

But at the Freeport attraction, owners “like family” with regular ty show “The Bachelor” and in an food rather than scraps from tourshe sawists.pigscorralledinapen,inspectionsbyaveterinarian.heinfamouspromotionalvideofor exposed to wind and high seas on a said. the ill-fated Fyre Festival. Following the deaths of seven narrow, unshaded cay, then tossed An April 18 Bahamas Tribune Also unknown is how the pigs pigs on Big Major Cay, veterinariby employees into rough waves as report quoted proprietor Barbara got to Big Major Key. Aranha said ans found large quantities of sand the excursion boat she was in apDanville as saying the attraction’s it’s likely an owner of one of the in the deceased animals’ stomachs proached the shore. pigs are “healthy, well kept and nearby Exuma islands owned — possibly resulting from tourists

“The men then went on a kayak being properly housed and cared some pigs and kept them there, throwing food on the beach, they across the water which they themfor.” knowing there was a natural said. selves could barely swim in, they The pen that Fisher saw only source of freshwater, “until it was Aranha and Burrows said their let all the piggies out of the crate houses the pigs for part of the time to go to the butcher.” pleas to the government have so and THEN threw them in the wamorning so they don’t run away Yet wild pigs have apparently far gone unanswered. Efforts by ter, IN HUGE WAVES, with curwhen the first tour group shows been swimming around the Bahathe South Florida Sun Sentinel to rent, they made these pigs swim in up each day, she told the paper. She reach the nation’s top agriculture

The attractions range in size from the permanent “Piggyville” on Abaco promoted by the Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina to, according to Aranha, “a guy that walks down Bay Street in Nassau with two pigs on a leash.”

“They just go to the Ministry of Agriculture farm, buy a couple of piglets and they think they’ll make millions.”

Travel blogger stirs controversy

added that they are kept onshore overnight and fed plenty of water, grains and apples.

How it began

and tourism officials were unsuccessful.

No swimming with pigs in the U.S. Wonder why?

No comparable attraction exists in the United States.

If an entrepreneur did try to create one in the U.S., it would have to be licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and by its home state’s department of health, according to USDA spokesman R. Andre Bell.

States’ health departments might look askance at permitting humans to swim in water alongside pigs and their waste.

Referring to the Freeport attraction, Burrows asked, “Where is all the pigs’ waste going? In the water. And it’s near a very popular swimming beach, a snorkeling attraction and a kayak resort with cottages nearby.”

In an email, U.S. Centers for Disease Control spokeswoman Kate Fowlie said, “Pigs, like many animals, can sometimes carry germs that can make people sick. Any of these germs can be spread through pig feces, urine, and other body fluids.”

Diseases that can be carried by even healthy looking pigs include leptospirosis, Salmonella, Campylobacter, cryptosporidiosis, and parasitic diseases like ringworm and ascariasis, Fowler’s email said.

And don’t be lulled just because they are cute, Aranha said.

“When they’re hungry, they can get aggressive and bite.”

PEXELS.COM/COURTESY Oh sure, they’re cute, with their snouts and cat-like ears. But animal advocates in The Bahamas say copycat “swimming pig” attractions are out of control.