Giant pig in need of big CT scanner
Esther the Wonder Pig’s owners are fighting for giant diagnostic equipment
HAMILTON — Who knew? Giant pigs with mysterious illnesses require giant diagnostic equipment.
The pig, a 650-pounder named Esther, lives just outside Milton in Campbellville, and got sick recently.
An under-the-weather animal, one typically associated — at least by meat eaters — with brunch, might not otherwise inspire much attention.
But Esther is some pig: star of social media (her Facebook account says she is a “public figure” with 1 million followers) and literature (a New York Times bestselling book, “Esther the Wonder Pig”) and online gift shop (Esther silver earrings are marked down to $12.99.)
On Oct. 14 she suffered what seemed like a seizure; she went into convulsions and had trouble breathing.
Her owners, Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, said they “whisked” their pet to Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in Guelph. (To the extent 294 kilograms of swine can be whisked.)
Esther’s story began just over five years ago, when Jenkins and Walter adopted the baby piglet. They were told the petite four-pounder was a “micro-pig,” but instead she went macro.
As she grew, the pair was inspired to become vegans and animal advocates. A crowdfunding campaign helped them buy 58 acres in Campbellville, just south of the 401 by Mountsberg Conservation Area, where they raised Esther and expanded the operation into the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, a registered charity that offers public tours.
They care for rescued animals including cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, rabbits and 11 pigs. (One of the pigs fell off a truck; another was destined for a pig roast but when the party was cancelled, the swine found new life at the farm.)
Esther’s story spread far and wide, appearing in National Geographic and newspapers in the U.K. that proclaimed, “The 48stone porker is now the size of a polar bear.”
Anyway, Esther got sick, and this is where the story diverts from “Charlotte’s Web” comparisons. At OVC, they gave her oxygen and fluids, an ultrasound and blood work.
Her owners hoped a CT scan would rule out neurological issues, but while OVC has a veterinary scanner, it is not big enough to assess a 650-pound animal.
This type of equipment exists in the U.S., but if they took Esther there for assessment, Canadian regulations mandate a three-week quarantine period for livestock that crosses the border.
Last week, an online petition was signed by nearly 100,000 people in four days, urging these rules to be waived for Esther.
Jenkins said the rules are inconsistent: for example, he said, he could take a cow to a state fair south of the border and easily bring it back, but it’s not the same for pigs.
The support for Esther “blew our mind, it was overwhelming,” he said, “but it kind of made me feel bad, too, because the reason it was all happening was because of her (illness).”
As it happens, Esther’s condition improved over the weekend, although they never figured out what made her sick.
She is eating and drinking again, sleeping well, walking short stretches, and attending spin classes. (OK, not the spin classes.) She may well live for years to come; a pig’s natural lifespan is about 15 to 20 years.
Jenkins said they still plan to mount a fundraising campaign to help OVC purchase a new CT scanner in case Esther or others require it in the future.
He said price quotes they have heard so far range up to $1.6 million.
“It’s astonishing to me that not one of these (larger scanners) exists in Canada … If we can help them raise the money, it would service other animals, and (oversized) people.”
Esther is a member of their family, Jenkins said, but he knows some people will wonder what all the fuss is about over a pig — and that he might have felt the same way several years ago.
“Then I got to know one, and I realized that pigs are probably the most misunderstood animal. They’re smarter than human toddlers, and can recognize themselves in mirrors. Esther was born to live in a literal hell on earth, but she got away, and it’s our job to keep her safe, and we will do whatever it takes to keep her healthy.”