A pair of abandoned and starving piglets rescued by the RSCPA on Friday the 13th have turned around their unlucky start after being rehomed in East Devon.
The three-month-old sisters, named Emma and Ellie, were found starving and heard crying out for help along a driveway in Glastonbury, and after a after a month of being cared for by the RSCPA have officially moved to their permanent new home at Bicton Agricultural College.
Bicton College stepped in to help after learning about the piglets’ plight when the RSPCA appealed for help rehoming the pair.
The starving and abandoned pigs were rescued from squalor by the RSPCA.
Photo: RSPCA.
The piglets’ plight came to the attention of the RSPCA after the starving animals were heard crying for food. Photo: RSPCA.
Clara Scully, RSPCS animal rescue officer who was first on the scene, described the moment she saw the starving pigs.
She said: “When I arrived, I was shocked to see the condition they were in, but before I even saw them, I could hear them calling and crying out, letting us know they were starving and desperately seeking help.
“It’s been wonderful to see their transformation over the last few weeks; they are now gaining weight and are full of personality.”
The piglets were taken in by the RSPCA and nursed back to health before being rehomed in East Devon. Photo: RSPCA.
Clara, a former Bicton College student, watched Emma and Ellie take their first steps into their new home.
She said: “Seeing these sweet pigs, who have already had such a trauma in their short lives, move into a fantastic new home where they’ll be cared for, live in beautiful surroundings with woodland to explore, is so great.”
“They will be a huge asset, helping students learn how to properly keep pigs and about their needs and welfare. The team at Bicton is fantastic and they do a lot to help us and the animals we’re called to rescue.”
As these photos show, this pigs’ tale has a happy ending. Piglets Emma and Ellie are sharing their new East Devon home with resident Kune Matilda and Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pigs Dylan and Wallace, who previously arrived from the RSPCA.
The piglets new friends and have a home for life at Bicton College.
Photo: RSPCA.
The piglets have been rehomed in East Devon where they will help students learn how to care for the animals. Photo: RSPCA.
Miles Price, Bicton College zoo manager who offered the pigs a permanent place to live, said: “Their curious personalities have brightened up our spring as they arrived with the sunshine bursting through the clouds,
“Emma and Ellie have quickly become favourites among the staff on the Bicton College Animal Zone.”
He added: “Whether it’s wallowing, exploring their field, or demanding a scratch behind the ear Emma and Ellie have made Bicton College a home for life where they will be integrated into the curriculum to educate the next generation of industry experts on the intelligent and complex nature of pigs.
“We are excited to watch them grow with our students; they are already getting bigger by the day.”
