Don’t name the animals.

It’s horrifying to sit down to a nice hearty breakfast only to be told that the bacon on your plate is your old friend Wilbur.

Or that the burger you’re about to fix used to be Emma, the cow you fed by hand every day for years.

It certainly makes it much easier to become a vegetarian after that happens a few times.

But of course, your personal habits don’t change the fact that livestock animals are still slaughtered every day for food.

And hey, even the most kind-hearted animal-loving pet rescuers still eat bacon and burgers; it’s just a fact of life, right?

That doesn’t mean that we can’t save the special ones we come across in our journeys, though!

If you weren’t aware, some pigs are used to help students in their veterinary studies; but once the studies are over, the pig goes off to become a ham sandwich.

When a student named Erica was assigned a white pig as her lab partner for an agriculture class she was told the rules.

She knew that when the class ended, the pig would be killed. And at first, she thought she was okay with that.

However, as the year went on, Erica realized how smart, clean and personable a pig can be. She named the pig Pecan (violation of Rule #1!) and yes, he became her friend.

As the end of the year loomed, Erica realized there was NO way she was going to let anyone kill Pecan simply because of the date on a calendar.

She had come to realize that Pecan experienced feelings and emotions, just as any other mammal, including humans and their dogs, cats and other small pets.

She couldn’t bear the thought of Pecan being loaded onto a truck experiencing the horrors of a crowded feedlot situation, before enduring the terror and pain of the final slaughter.

She made the decision to do what it took to save Pecan’s life, even if it damaged her grade in the class.

So she quickly contacted Temerlaine Farm Animal Sanctuary in Montague Township, NJ for help.

“Erica thought she would be OK with Pecan going to market,” said Gabrielle Stubbert, founder, and president of Tamerlaine Farm Animal Sanctuary.  

“As she raised Pecan she realized how special, smart and intelligent he was and got very attached to him.”

Then Erika heard the story of how one girl took the class and didn’t realize what would happen to her sheep when the class was over. “Same as me,” Erika thought.

The student had taken the class and raised a sheep that was a grand champion.

When the girl returned the following year to visit the sheep, however, she was informed that the sheep had been sent to market.  She was devastated.

Thinking of how that would have felt if she’d found out Pecan had died, Erika knew she had done the right thing in contacting the sanctuary.

Though Pecan’s story is far from the norm, here is what can happen when someone steps forward to help:

Thanks Erika, for making a difference in one special pig’s life!

We know that whatever agricultural degree you’re aiming for, you will continue to make a difference in your chosen career.

Thanks too to everyone who works so hard to find a safe haven for animals that have no voice, and depend on human intervention for their very lives!

Source: Animals Being Cute

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