Meet SAFE's new piggie friend - Wiglet!  SAFE is proud to announce our sponsorship of the gorgeous, not-so-little Wiglet from HUHA sanctuary. SAFE previously sponsored Piggy Sue until, sadly, she died earlier this year. Wiglet is a factory farm escapee. He was was found wandering along a road just a few hundred metres from a commercial piggery, covered in mange and with the overwhelming stench of the piggery. HUHA say they'll never know just how he managed to make his great escape, but he's a very lucky piggy indeed.
Wiglet is now 8 years old and has lived his life free ranging the hills and gullies of HUHA with a vast array of friends - completely different from the short, miserable life he would have had otherwise. He's a gentle giant whose intelligence is a constant source of delight to those who meet him. Shiny and pink, smothered in sun block in summer and with a thick hairy coat in winter, he's able to enjoy the joys of life all year round. Wiglet loves his free-range adventures - he meets and interacts with so many other animal species (including kind and loving humans) and is a wonderful ambassador for how happy, healthy and intelligent pigs can be. SAFE is pleased to keep you in carrots and sun block, Wiglet! Wiglet truly is one of the lucky ones. But his life shouldn't be the exception. Find out how you can help stop the cruelty of factory farms . 
PIGGY SUE: A TRIBUTE
From factory-farmed cruelty to freedom! For nearly five years, pig ‘473' was just another breeding sow serving the needs of a pig farmer. Twice a year her piglets were taken away to become bacon or ham. 473's life was monotonous, full of suffering and deprived - she was kept confined in a cage so small she couldn't even turn around. Then in 2009 along came a dream come true in the form of Carolyn Press-McKenzie. The co-founder of Pakuratahi Farm Animal Sanctuary, Carolyn agreed to save a sow from certain death for the current affairs programme Sunday. Carolyn says choosing pig ‘473' out of the group was emotional but was delighted Piggy Sue, as she was called, managed to recover to become one very happy pig. After her rescue SAFE continued to sponsor Piggy Sue's on-going care and veterinary costs.Carolyn said of rescuing Piggy Sue: "She now has a huge fan club. The Sunday programme profiled me liberating a very sad and lifeless sow from a factory farm. It was terrible to know Piggy, as I like to call her, was facing certain death. It was even more gut-wrenching to leave the other pigs destined to be killed, as I could only save one pig. For Piggy, it surely must have been a dream come true. 
Piggy's new life
Although we were told by the pig farmers that sows reared in factory farms could not cope with living outdoors, Piggy's new life has obviously bought her much joy. Watching Piggy sniff and feel the grass for the very first time after her years of a repressed life made us extremely emotional. Though stiff and awkward from being caged for most of her life, Piggy wasted no time in beginning to wander around her lush, grassy paddock, stopping to scratch against everything in her path. As my partner Jim renovated Piggy's new shelter, Piggy diligently followed him back and forth across the paddock until the last plank was nailed. When she arrived she was covered in scars and pressure sores and looked unnaturally hairless and pink. Since arriving at the sanctuary Piggy's legs have strengthened and she has grown a wonderful coat of bristly hair. She burrows contently in straw each night with her new-found companion, a Captain Cook pig called Willmar. We have been overwhelmed by her gentle and sincere personality and by how she meets every new experience with delight and curiosity. Piggy's first experience of a rainy day was delightful. She halted at the very first drop, put her snout up in the air and stood for a moment before launching into a series of frisky gallops and pig jumps. It was such a joy to watch.
Clever pigs
As Piggy blossoms she is becoming even more playful and curious. We are so proud of her progress, given her first five years were spent in a tiny crate. In fact, Jim and I are dumbfounded by how quickly she has adjusted to her freedom. It is a stark reminder of how innately clever and resilient pigs are. It also shows pigs will flourish when given a safe and enriched natural environment. I can't imagine how she kept her sanity as a prisoner for so many years, not to mention that she was continually kept pregnant and gave birth to litter upon litter of piglets in such cruel conditions. The look in Piggy's eyes is one of great depth and although outwardly the scars are healing, there is still sadness. Our only hope is that each and every New Zealander is inspired by Piggy Sue's story and takes a stand against pig cruelty." Sadly in January 2012 Piggy Sue passed away peacefully in her sleep. Although she had just a short amount of freedom, it was a very good three years. Carolyn says: "She was such a courageous pig and will be dearly missed." There are still thousands of sows like Piggy Sue suffering right now. | 
