Opening A Pig Sanctuary In CAFO Country

On September 14th, 2018 - Hurricane Florence made landfall on the east coast of the United States. Florence brought with her torrential rain, deadly, catastrophic flooding, high velocity winds, and a memory for many, of nightmarish proportions. With people fleeing the coast, millions of animals were left to fend for themselves, many of whom spent their last moments in fear as they drowned in contaminated floodwater. In the aftermath of the storm, as floodwaters receded, groups of factory farmed hogs from surrounding CAFOs began emerging from the forests and wetlands.  Venturing into nearby neighborhoods a new world opened to them, but they had no idea of what was in store for them as neighborhood opinions varied as to the desire for their apprehension. Some people would call post online for help, while others simply used them a target practice. Much of the state was land-locked due to flooding, washed out bridges, downed trees, destroyed roads, and lack of services, so we began assisting sanctuaries who could not actually get to the scenes of where these pigs were being spotted. Within a month, nearly a dozen hurricane pigs were rescued, treated, transported, and safely relocated to nearby animal sanctuaries in various eastern states.


Shortly after we arranged the transport of what we assumed was the last group of hurricane pigs,  we were presented with a unique opportunity to negotiate the legal surrender of “cull” piglets from a factory farm nearby. Although we had very little experience with large scale rescue and limited resources, we took a chance and decided to save them ourselves. We knew we would never have an opportunity like this again and we had a voice. On October 16th, 2018, we drove to the farm and removed 42 three-month-old piglets who had been selected and identified as an expendable commodity, to be gassed and discarded in a dumpster as zero value "live" inventory.  As horrible as that sounds, it is a standard procedure on nursery factory farms worldwide.

It was a massive undertaking. These young pigs were considered trash; many of them had serious medical issues that needed immediate treatment. Several of the pigs had open wounds, massive hernias, pneumonia, respiratory disease, pink eye, and ear infections. They had never even felt the sunlight on their skin or grass under the hooves. It was exhausting and exhilarating to watch them discover the world for the first time. Through generous donations, we successfully raised the necessary funds through Facebook and PayPal to cover the medical expenses for all of the piglets. With round-the-clock care, feedings, emergency vet runs, antibiotics, cleaning, and building shelters, our lives were completely dedicated to the pigs. We lost a few of our little champions, although we loved them dearly and fought hard for them,  in the end they succumbed to their ailing health; we took solace in knowing that they were able to spend weeks or months on their own terms; playing in the mud, spending time with their family, getting tummy rubs, and love from all of the interaction they received from us and our many helping hands. Ass challenging as everything was, we pushed forward through the hard times and cried through the harder ones.

Extensive networking, compassionate individuals, and generosity led to placement for all of the healthy piglets and we began coordinating health certificates and transportation routes to get them to their new homes. While we were carrying out the daily care of the cull piglets we began to receive more calls about more hurricane survivor pigs. After swimming for their lives in toxic flood waters, these pigs had managed to survive for nearly two months in the backwoods. With the nights becoming colder, and food becoming more scarce, more and more groups of hurricane pigs began showing up in increasing numbers hungry, emaciated, and often injured or ill. Although we had our hands full, we could not turn them away and found ourselves rescuing these new groups, sometimes twice a day.  Over 30 additional hurricane pigs were found and safely acquired, treated, and contained; food was a big motivator in our rescues.

It would be important to note that prior to these rescues, we were not actively participating in any rescue or any activism at all. We had a very comfortable, routine lifestyle. We did not own any property - in fact, we were renting in the suburbs on a golf course. During the rescues, we were blessed enough to meet friends who let us stage each new group of pigs, however, with each call about a new pig, the temporary staging area that we had set up was becoming more crowded. And we were also close to capturing a feral who had become very interested in us and the pigs , he would definitely need a large area. Bear has an incredible story all his own - if you'd like to read about him (click here.)

With shelters and sanctuaries at capacity, we knew we needed to come up with something permanent and safe for the remaining pigs. What was once a daydream had now become a crucial need - we needed to move out of the city and fast. Around that time, we happened to come across an incredible property that seemed like the perfect place to relocate our ever-growing family. It had 47 acres, lush pastures, ponds, barns, and stables... it was a dream. There was only one problem, it was smack dab in the middle of hog country, Duplin, North Carolina; surrounded by factory farms where there is a large hog farm not more than1200 ft from its doorstep. While we were nervous about the difficulties we would face by moving here, we knew that we needed to do something bold, make a true statement, and when you really think about it, what better place to have an animal refuge? Here is where we are truly needed and in this area is where we can be the most effective.While opening an animal sanctuary has always been a long term goal of ours, it was never meant to be so soon. We were put into a situation that we could not turn away from and we had others that were depending on us for their safety. We have now moved to the location of where we will open SiSu Refuge and are in the beginning stages of turning the property into a haven for these survivors. Currently, it is just us, as a family, trying to navigate through all of the things that this type of life will require of us, both physically and mentally. Our bodies are sore every single day, but our hearts are full.

The property used to be a breeding farm for high-end dogs and cats, and was previously owned by a goat breeder, (and before that - it was owned by a cattle farmer and Morgan horse breeders, so on and so on..) so all of the outbuildings were already wired for electricity and had heaters and air conditioners. There are major repairs that need to be done throughout the entire property - including roofing, siding, fencing, drainage etc. - but overall, it has great bones and we are looking forward to turning the farm into a true oasis for animal and activists alike.
Our first priority is to replace all of the electric fencing with woven wire and wooden posts; this would open up 20 acres for all of our large pigs. Here
is what our current fundraisers are geared towards and our beginning year goals.

Fence in 20 acres on 3 separate pastures for the Hurricane Pigs

By sectioning off the pastures, we will be able to plant one field of clovers at a time and then rotate the pigs into the pastures for new enrichment and a change of scenery. This rotation will also help our soil recover with occasional breaks and keep down the amount of waste accumulating in one area.

Add additional shelters for the Hurricane Pigs in the back pasture

We need to add an additional sleeping shelter on one of the back pastures for a different group of pigs. Sometimes the pigs break off into family groups and we would like them to feel comfortable to choose their own sleeping area. With the addition of new pigs in the future, extra sleeping space is always important. While they may all fit in their current barn, our Hurricane Boys are only 10 months old! They could possibly double in size by next year and they may want a more spacious living arrangement. Our goal is to have one shelter for for every eight pigs. Ideally, we would like to power additional shelters with solar power instead of running electrical cables.

Have an emergency medical fund in reserve of $5,000

Aside from expected costs of taking on new residents (neuters, spay, vaccines etc.) we would like to have an established emergency medical fund of at least $5,000-$10,000. We are setting our goal at $5,000 by the beginning or Summer, and hopefully $10,000 by the beginning of winter. If we do not meet our goals, we will be closed for intakes until we can guarantee funding. While we may be able to cover the basic expenses - sometimes unexpected scenarios occur and due to the last medical issue we had (involving Bear) where his vet bills totaled over $7,000 - we cannot in good conscience take on new animals or additional responsibilities. We are currently at $3,000 thanks to a generous medical grant.

Set up two additional quarantine areas for new intakes

We have temporary holding pens and shelters set up for new animals that we are expecting this month, however - we do need to make permanent areas with the appropriate fencing for additional newcomers. Our new standard procedure is 20-30 days quarantined, away from the other animals and then they will join only after receiving a clear bill of health from our farm vet. However, we may have animals in the future who cannot join a group. Having intake areas are crucial to maintaining the health and well-being of our current family.

Fence in 3 acres for the pot-bellied pigs

We only have two pot-bellied pigs currently, but with shelters and rescues becoming overwhelmed with the "mini" pig crisis, we would like to have an appropriate space set up in order to take additional smaller pigs when the time comes. We have designed a special porch off the back of the house with private piggie suites underneath the deck boards and are looking forward to setting up a fun and spacious area for future piggies.

Purchase a tractor for daily maintenance

Many of the difficult tasks and labor-intensive chores that we are currently handling are being done by hand or with a wheel barrow. Purchasing a tractor with a lawn mower attachment, backhoe, and bucket is crucial to maintaining the property. We have noticed several drainage issues that can be corrected by digging trenches and installing french drains - both of which would take days with a shovel. Moving hay, wood, and other large items around would also become much easier, freeing up time that we so desperately need.



Sisu: (noun) Sisu is extraordinary boldness, and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity. An action mindset which enables individuals to see pasttheir present limitations and into what might be. Sisu begins where perseverance and grit end. It is the second wing of mental toughness, after the individual has reached the limits of their observed mental or physical capacities. Sisu is the ultimate determination, fortitude, and persistence; an almostmagical quality, a combination of stamina and courage held in reserve for hard times. It it taking action against the odds. We have named our new home SiSu Refuge because it not only represents the journey of what it took to get here, but it defines us as a family. We have pushed ourselves, past the reasonable limits, in order to protect these animals and we will continue to fight for a better world. We will challenge the standards set forth by the industries and become the standard for exceptional sanctuary care and management.

SiSu will not only save animals and assist with rescue operations, it will also become an outreach center where visitors can interact with these animals and learn to see them as the individuals that they are. We will educate people on animal agriculture and advocate for a plant based diet and cruelty free lifestyle choices. Our financial records, including transactions, and additional information is available on our new website - SisuRefuge.org. Since securing the property, we have taken in two discarded bull calves from a dairy farm, a Kunekune surrender, and two pot bellies. We are in the process of setting up adoption paperwork and determining a protocol for weekly volunteers. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. You are literally helping us save lives, and our debt of gratitude is endless.


You can read more about our rescue efforts here, and also follow our facebook page at facebook.com/sisurefuge
All of our financial records for the rescue for more than 85 pigs can be found here.  We believe in full financial transparency!

Our friends at the non-profit NC Farmed Animal Save are accepting donations through this GoFundMe on our behalf, so that we can avoid the high fees associated with donations to individuals. They will send us all funds raised through this fundraiser.



More information about North Carolina Farmed Animal Save: North Carolina Farmed Animal Save is part of the global Save Movement, and we are dedicated to shining a light on the conditions of farmed animals in CAFOs, transport, and slaughterhouses in North Carolina. We bear witness, conduct vegan outreach and education, assist farmed animals in need, and advocate for rights and protections for farmed animals in our state.