A mother’s love knows no boundaries for a pig named Matilda.
Born on a factory farm, the pregnant pig knew what fate awaited her babies. Pigs may live for 15 to 20 years in the wild, but their offspring wouldn’t survive more than six months unless the farmer maintained them for breeding.
Matilda’s senses told her it was time to flee and find a secure spot to give birth, and she followed her instincts.
Earlier this month, a dog walker spotted Matilda and her nine newborn piglets in a wooded area in Ollerton, Nottingham, England. Surprised to see the little family in the wild, she called Jon Beresford and Beth Hewis, cofounders of Brinsley Animal Rescue, for help.
“We visited the following day to check it out and found she had escaped from an adjacent pig farm and had her babies in the woods,” Beresford told The Dodo. “Her babies looked well, [but] she was thin and able to graze but not forage for food as she had a ring through her nose.”
Unfortunately, keeping Matilda safe would be a difficult chore.
“We couldn’t let her go back because she had the maternal desire to flee and safeguard her offspring,” Beresford added. “However, we couldn’t just gather them.” How could we possibly help them? Finally, we required the owners’ permission.”
Because locating Matilda’s owners’ contact information proved difficult, Beresford and Hewis contacted the media and started a public campaign to preserve Matilda. The rescuers were hopeful that Matilda and her family would soon be free after the tale of the heroic mother went viral.
“The corporation contacted us after the article appeared in practically every UK national newspaper,” Beresford explained. “They wanted to know where Matilda was so they could ‘look her over.'” When a photographer from a major newspaper shot the farm and returned them to her confinement, we felt deceived.”
Worried that Matilda and her children might be gone forever, Beresford organized a protest, and the farmers eventually agreed to return Matilda and her children. Matilda and her brood are now residing at Brinsley Animal Rescue, where they are thriving.
Matilda can now concentrate on what matters most to her: her children.
“Matilda is an excellent mother. “She’s also quite sociable and enjoys it when we care over her and her puppies,” Beresford said. “She feeds them and rests, then we take her out for a run around and graze, as well as a good mud wash, and she’s back to feed the numerous mouths in no time.”
Due to the gregarious nature of pigs, Matilda and four of her piglets will spend the remainder of their lives at Surge Sanctuary, while the remaining piglets will be rehomed in pairs. But they’re enjoying their hard-won independence until they’re ready to find their forever homes.
0 Comments