If you’ve ever had the privilege to go to the Bahamas, you may have gotten a chance to swim with it’s famous swimming pigs. Unfortunately, it has been reported that several pigs were left for dead after they were fed the wrong food on top of alcohol.
According to the Independent, authorities have now banned tourists from feeding their beloved swimming pigs after seven pigs were found floating dead by the Exuma Cays. It is reported that only 15 remain alive even though some are reporting a significantly lower number.
Wayde Nixon, an owner of one of the dead pigs, says he has had his pigs for over 30 years and is surprised it happened.
“We had the government vet in there [who] examined them all thoroughly. He gave them shots, he gave them medicine, and I was there and I worked with them for three days straight,” Nixon told The Nassau Guardian.
“We had them pigs there almost 30 years, and never has this happened before, but now we are going to have to regulate it.
“Right now it’s blowing out of proportion with people, anybody, bringing food there, anybody doing what they [want to] do. We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kinds of stuff.”
Bahamas Humane Society President Kim Aranha is trying to give tourists the benefit of the doubt.
“It could just be a horrible accident where they ate something poisonous,” she said. “It could be malicious but I don’t really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals.
“I know there are a lot of silly sailors that go and feed them alcohol to try and get them drunk but that’s not to mistake them with the tour operators based out of Nassau who have treated them with excellent care.”
As for now, officials want to regulate pig feeding and their human interactions even though they know it may hurt tourism and ultimately the economy.
Who would do such a thing! Let’s chat below!
TSR STAFF: Debra Oh! @The_Ebony_Issue on IG
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bahamas-swimming-pigs-dead-rum-tourists-exuma-cays-tourism-a7602281.html?cmpid=facebook-post
