Esther the Wonder Pig
She probably is the most famous pig in the world, and you may already know that she recently passed away. But the story of her rescue, the life she led with her two (later one) Dads, and the many initiatives that started because of her and which saved countless animal lives – all this should be celebrated.
When Steve Jenkins and his (then) partner Derek Walter bought Esther in the summer of 2012, she weighed only 4 pounds. Sold as a mini-pig, she was supposed to grow to the size of a large dog, but she didn’t stop there – she grew bigger and bigger, until she reached about 600 pounds. The size of a regular, commercial pig. By that time, her Dads had totally fallen in love with her intelligence and sweet personality. They had become vegans – the idea to hurt and/or EAT another living being had become absolutely unacceptable. Same as eating a human baby.
However, Esther wouldn’t fit into a normal household any more, so Steve and Derek bought a farm near Ontario and started the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, a safe haven for many animals in need. Rest assured that Esther never became a farm animal; I was going to say that she was a pet, but that word seems not quite adequate either. “Family member” is probably the best term; together with Cornelius (“Corno”), an older, quite grouchy turkey, Phil the dog, and Gary, the cat, she resided in the master bedroom of the house.
Steve and Derek shared Esther’s adventures on social media, and people loved her – she has 1.5 million Facebook followers, and over ½ million Instagram fans. Many people shared that Esther the Wonder Pig changed their eating habits; bacon and pork became unpalatable, and soon they gave up any animal products.
Shortly after Esther had surgery for cancer in 2017, her veterinarians found a stomach ulcer that caused her much pain. Because her treatment required one, her Dads had to raise enough money – $500,000 – to purchase an equine CT scanner which can be used for large animals. They donated it to the Ontario Veterinary College. From their Facebook page:
This scanner is going to completely change the landscape for large animals here in Canada, allowing medical teams to do and see things that were previously impossible. There’s also already discussion to use the scanner for a clinical trial in the treatment of prostate cancer in dogs! Large animals aren’t the only ones that will benefit from this amazing piece of technology.
Esther’s legacy is simply formidable, promoting a cruelty-free and compassionate lifestyle, changing the lives of humans and animals for the better.
Breakfast chez Esther’s:
Cheese From Wisconsin
The State of Cheese; America’s Dairyland: these are some of the names Wisconsin is known for.
And one pictures something bucolic, similar to the picture above, with some cows roaming freely across the meadow. Although the dairy industry likes to promote this idyllic image, the reality is quite different. According to the State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection there are almost 6,000 dairy farms in Wisconsin, and 1,28 million cows. About 50% of these farms own between 50 and 99 cows, and 3.5% own more than 500 cows.
These concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, keep buying up smaller operations, growing bigger and bigger. The largest farm, Rosendale Dairy Farm, has about 8,400 milking cows and produces around 78,000 gallons of milk every day. And there are 326 other CAFOs in Wisconsin. Does this still look pastoral?
But the people in rural Wisconsin are less concerned with the looks of CAFOs. Instead, they’re deeply troubled by the pollution of air and water these operations cause. Both surface- and groundwater can become contaminated, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article linked above (from May 31, 2022). The manure and water mix which is stored at the farm until it will be spread on the fields often runs into surface water and/or leaks into the ground and pollutes the groundwater. The worst component of manure is nitrate which can cause birth defects, colon cancer, and thyroid problems.
An article in the Investigate Midwest from April 20, 2023 reports about the air pollution which affects children at schools near CAFOs. They suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems, and some even experience damage to their nervous system. Because of the powerful livestock lobby the Environmental Protection Agency is dragging its feet with enforcing its own regulations relating to air and water quality.
The international nonprofit animal protection organization Mercy for Animals recently (on October 19, 2023) released a drone video investigation which exposes the open pits filled with manure, which often are close to residential communities. The video shows a local couple, Arlin and Mary Lou Karnopp, who live in Kewaunee County which has a high number of CAFOs. Their drinking water is murky brown. They have to buy bottled water to brush their teeth, wash their face, and cook their food with.
The Karnopps are not only worried about their well water, but about the contamination of the whole region’s watershed which spans three counties. They and other Kewaunee County residents are still waiting for the Land & Water Conservation Committee to enforce stricter rules.
Cheese tastes great, no doubt, and the plant-based imitations just don’t taste AS good – although, trust me, after a while one simply forgets. I’m totally happy with my fake cheese and wouldn’t trade it for something that is tainted by so much suffering. It’s not only the factory-farmed animals who suffer, and they suffer tremendously, but it’s also humans, children in particular, who get sick and often have to live with chronic diseases. The environment suffers – the contaminated water ends up in rivers and tributaries and slowly kills all vegetation. Don’t let your tastebuds control you.