Snortie the pig’s plight taken to art
SNORTIE, a little pig from the Western Cape, has gone from being a neglected animal to a muse for a grant art installation in the UK.
Local artist Marius Jansen van Vuuren collaborated with UK artist Alex Rinsler to build a giant piglet installation that was commissioned to mark the Chinese New Year.
Snortie was rescued from a township piggery and is living at the Greyton Animal Farm Sanctuary.
The sanctuary’s founder, Nicola Vernon, said when she was found, Snortie was lying on her tummy in a filthy pen full of rusted roof sheeting, wire and rubbish.
“She was all alone. Her back legs were splayed out on either side of her body. She looked up as Toni Brockhoven, head of Beauty without Cruelty SA, reached out and gently picked her up. The little pig snorted in Toni’s ear and immediately became Snortie.
“Toni had negotiated with the farmer of the backyard piggery in Cape Town to release the pig into her care and she brought her to Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary.”
Vernon said Snortie was born with her back legs not working and they were in the process of getting her a wheelchair, with proceeds made from the art installation in Manchester.
“Many people came forward from all over the world to offer help and we have managed to raise the money to buy her a custom-built wheelchair, so she can run around the sanctuary with the other pigs and lead a near-normal life,” Vernon said.
She said it was hard to believe how friendly and affectionate Snortie was considering the neglect she endured.
She said Snortie had initially been taken in by another pig, Bella Boo, who died. “Snortie’s grief was plain to see.
“We (introduced her to) another formerly obese pig, also Bella, who lives with her friend Ollie, a black pot-bellied pig. She now lives with them, cuddling up to Bella at night.”