Rescue & Adoptions

Past Rescues

Lily

Against all odds, Lily escaped the slaughterhouse — twice! Now a queen of sorts in the pig barn at our California Shelter, Lily certainly earned her way to sanctuary.

To the farmers who loaded her onto a hog truck and shipped her off to a pig "processing plant" in 2002, the young pig's untimely demise was a foregone conclusion. Thanks to a miraculous turn of events, however, Lily lived to see another day — and another, and another, and another.

As the hog truck barreled down the freeway, bringing her cruel fate closer with every passing mile, Lily somehow fell out onto the pavement. Perhaps she simply lost her balance and fell, or maybe, she gathered her courage and took matters into her own hooves. Whatever happened, her tumble from the hog truck undeniably saved her life.

A family driving directly behind the truck swerved to miss Lily as she fell out onto the road, and then pulled over to see if they could help her. Immediately won over by her beautiful eyes and her shy charm, they decided to take her home and keep her as part of their family. But as Lily grew bigger and bigger, they knew they could not provide for her as they should.

Entrusting Lily to a nearby farmer who promised to give her a safe home, the caring family believed she would be happy and well cared for. Unfortunately, the farmer did not keep his word and decided to get some "good bacon" out of her. For the second time in less than a year, Lily's death seemed inevitable.

Thankfully, also for the second time in less than a year, the kindness and mercy of strangers saved her life. Just days before Lily was to make another journey to the slaughterhouse, a compassionate woman who rented a property from Lily's "owner" heard of the pig's plight and intervened. The woman called our California Shelter for help, and we assured her that Lily would be a welcome addition to our sanctuary family.

Here at Farm Sanctuary, Lily's safety is, at last, guaranteed. Now she need never fear another lonely, frightening trip on a truck, or a broken promise. Her future is bright, with days of napping in the sun, wading in our cool pond, and carousing with friends to look forward to. If you can, come visit Lily at our California Shelter. You'll see when she smiles, there's never been a happier, luckier pig on Earth.