Life with a 650-pound pig
Couple’s ‘micro pig’ grows to the size of a polar bear ... what did they do next?
KINGSTON - The public had the opportunity this week to meet two men who looked beyond size when they were overcome with love.
Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter have become famous in the world of animal activism and rescue, thanks to their pet pig, Esther, a 650-pound sow. On Wednesday, they gave a talk at the invite-only TEDxStLawrenceCollege, and then on Thursday they presented the same talk plus 40 more minutes of fun at the fifth annual free public speaker series event at the college.
Their talk, which Jenkins said could be titled “Why would you change your entire life for a pig?” centres around Esther and how she came to be in Jenkins’ and Walter’s lives.
In 2012, Jenkins took in a “micro pig” without telling his partner, Walter. Jenkins, an animal lover, said Walter was livid, but that was nothing compared to when the vet told them Esther wouldn’t stay so “micro.”
“As soon as (the vet) saw her, he noticed she had a cropped tail,” Jenkins said from his home in Campbellville, Ont. “He said no breeder of companion pigs would ever cut their tails, that is a commercial practice . ...
“But he said she might not be that big. He said maybe a 200- or 250pound pig.”
Esther soon grew ... and grew ... and grew to all her current glory, 650 pounds. Often compared to the size of a female polar bear, Esther is about a metre tall at the shoulders, about three-quarters of a metre wide, and approximately two metres long from snout to tail.
Completely potty-trained, Esther is jam-packed with personality.
“There’s a whole other level of awareness going on in her head,” Jenkins said. “For example, if you raise your voice to her because she’s doing something she shouldn’t be doing, say we’re outside and she’s trying to get through the gate to visit the neighbours. If (Walter) gives her attitude or tries to move her, she’ll turn sideways and pee, just a tiny, little pee. We call them spite pees.”
Jenkins and Walter soon realized their tiny bungalow in Georgetown was just that: tiny. Plus, Esther had grown beyond what town bylaws allowed for a pet in residential areas. So Jenkins and Walter started an online campaign and raised $440,000 in 60 days to purchase a 50-acre farm in Campbellville, near Milton, and opened the Happily Ever Esther Sanctuary in late 2014.
After nearly two years, the sanctuary has grown into a home for more than 40 animals, including pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, cows, sheep, and one donkey, a horse and a peacock. All of those animals are on top of the family pets: two dogs, two cats and, of course, Esther.
Esther didn’t just change where they lived, she changed how they ate. Jenkins said that once they realized what Esther’s life would have been, they adopted the Estherapproved food diet: their own brand of a vegan diet. During their public talks, Walter and Jenkins hope to educate the audience on the food industry and a more compassionate diet, but with some fun stories about Esther in between.
“We want people to walk away feeling differently and thinking differently than when they came,” Jenkins said. “Esther for us elevated pigs to a position we held for companion animals previously. Dogs and cats were in a whole different bracket as far as we were concerned, until Esther came along. You’re taught your whole life: farm animals are farm animals, pets are pets.
“We want to help people re-evaluate that stance by getting to know Esther ultimately.”
Unfortunately, Esther wasn’t able to make the trip to Kingston. She’ll likely be sleeping on the couch or on Walter and Jenkins’ bed, though she’s not supposed to.