Greater Victoria residents are offering to cover the costs for a vet check and treatment for a pig that’s the subject of a B.C. SPCA order.
The owners, who have a farm adjacent to the Lochside Trail, were told on July 5 to have the 18-year-old pig checked by a veterinarian or euthanized within five days.
The offers to pay for the vet are “lovely,” said farmer Frans Winkel, who is grateful but hopes the society will grant an extension to allow the sow to live out her life at the farm where she was born.
“[I hope] that she has the dignity to die on her own. That’s all I want.”
On July 5, an SPCA officer visited the Saanich Peninsula farm to present the five-day notice.
After the Times Colonist highlighted the situation in Friday’s edition, readers wrote offering to donate money.
The Winkels, who are both in their 80s, take care of their nine-acre farm themselves.
The sow is their sole remaining pig after more than 50 years as pig farmers. She is a popular attraction for trail users, who frequently stop to watch her.
The notice from the SPCA was prompted by a complaint from a member of the public who was concerned about the pig’s condition.
Frans said the sow had been checked a year earlier by a vet, on the prompting of the SPCA, and the matter was resolved. The pig has a skin condition brought on by age that can be treated but not cured, he said, but is otherwise healthy and has a good appetite.
Every morning, Frans applies a treatment spray to the pig’s sore spots to reduce itching and deter flies — he shakes the spray can, which makes a rattling sound, prompting the pig to come to him.
Frans said he is expecting the SPCA officer to come out to the farm on Monday. He was unable to reach her on Friday.
“I am willing to put a lot of time and effort in to keep [the pig] alive.”
Victoria resident John Watt said Friday that he’s willing to pay for a vet visit and possible treatment if required.
He said he used to ride his bike on the Lochside Trail and often saw families with children stopping to look at the pig.
One woman wrote: “The pig is one of the highlights when we ride the Lochside Trail. It would truly be sad if she was no longer there.”
“We love the pig and have been visiting the pigs since we moved here thirteen years ago,” wrote another man.
The B.C. SPCA has said it sometimes permits extensions on its notices “depending of course on the severity of distress,” but doesn’t comment on individual cases.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
