The wonders of social media led me to learn that this weekend there will be a “Hog Wrestling” competition at my hometown’s local farm stand, Ard’s Farm Market. This disturbed me greatly. Immediately I thought of the pig, and what in goodness’ name was “hog wrestling” all about? I quickly made my way over to YouTube, wondering if there might be footage of such an event. There was.
Disturbing, right? Could you imagine if they in place of a pig used a dog? This pig is clearly upset by being treated this way. Anyway, I tried to do as much as I could by alerting the local Humane Societies and SCPA’s, I even was able to get in touch with an animal lawyer in the state. She informed me that animal abuse laws in Pennsylvania are incredibly lax, and that there is a sort of “boys club” of sorts between the folks that enforce these laws. Sadly, what may come off as abusive treatment to you or I often isn’t dubbed as such by those enforcers. I also sent the following letter/op-ed to the local newspapers, The Daily Item and The Standard Journal:
Dear Residents of the Susquehanna Valley,
I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, the beautiful Victorian town of Lewisburg to be exact. I loved the upbringing I had living in such a safe and kid-friendly town. Originally from New Jersey, when I was 10 years old my family moved to the Susquehanna Valley and I lived there until I went away to college when I turned 18. After four years spent in Pittsburgh, PA, I made the move to New York City, where I currently reside.
Through the wonders of social media, I am still able to keep in touch with my roots. I keep in touch with my graduating class as well as some of my favorite shops and organizations. This past week, I saw a Facebook status update from one of my favorite places – Ard’s Farm Market – advertising their upcoming event this weekend. I was concerned to read that the event included “Hog Wrestling”.
I am not naive to the fact that animal agriculture is a way of life for some of the people and families in the Central Susquehanna Valley. Make no mistake about it – I know that I am in a small minority in this country who believe that animals are here with us, not for us. I also believe that people have the capacity to grow and evolve.
I haven’t always thought this way. I used to love cheese steak sandwiches at May’s Drive-In, fish sandwiches at The Fence, and the Friday special (fried fish with stewed tomatoes) at Country Cupboard. Hot dogs at football games were necessary. And opening day of The Freeze was quite possibly was my favorite day of the year. But several years ago, a shift took place. I learned about the suffering and torture we put billions of farm animals through every year. And for me, I decided that I could no longer be a part of it.
Don’t worry. I’m not asking every family in the Susquehanna Valley to go vegan. All I’m asking is for people to consider, as Albert Schweitzer said, “Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.”
This brings me back to the hog wrestling competition at Ard’s that is set to go on this weekend. Farm animals are some of the most abused and exploited living creatures on this planet… their lives and their deaths are very much full of fear, pain and terror. Now this one poor pig will be subject to repeated chasing, aggressive tackling, slamming and taunting in addition to whatever life he or she lives when he or she is not the subject of an abusive “entertainment” act. There are videos of hog wrestling at Ard’s to view on YouTube for those who may not know what it looks and sounds like. Imagine for a moment if this instead was a “dog wrestling” competition – an event like that would never be allowed to occur. It has been scientifically proven that pigs are smarter than dogs which also means their capacity to suffer is just as in tune.
I hope that the folks at Ard’s to find it in their heart to discontinue this event. Instead, why not have a hay bale toss, or corn cob relay race. Let’s extend the circle of compassion, even if just a little bit, to let that pig have just a little bit less stress.
With compassion,
Emily Monus
www.jerseycityvegan.com
Please join me in compassionately calling on Ard’s Farm Market to suspend the “hog wrestling” event. I urge you to use your most compassionate voice, as that is what will help the animals most. Getting aggressive, as we all know, puts people off. Let’s show others the compassion that we know when we advocate for these beloved creatures.
Ard’s Farm Market Facebook Page
Editor of the Standard Journal: amym@standard-journal.com
Letters submission for The Daily Item: letters@dailyitem.com
UPDATE: As of the morning of 8/24, Ard’s Farm Market has disabled wall posts on their Facebook page. Several comments were posted in support of canceling the event, of which I read and am now kicking myself for not getting a screenshot! All comments were very respectful, calling on Ard’s to extend some compassion to the pigs and cancel the hog wrestling event. Fingers crossed local media decides to cover this inhumane event.
Jersey City Vegan 