Featured Image Credit: Grand Isle Resort and Spa
By Lindsay Edgar
Thanks to irresponsible tourists and loose rules, half of the Bahamas’ famous swimming pigs are now dead. As a popular tourist attraction and internet sensation, the island’s porky residents have been known to frolic on the white sand and take dips in the crystal water. Now, this sounder of swine has been dramatically reduced.
Up to 10 of the pigs were found dead on Big Major Cay island, according to the Bahamas Humane Society. The cause of their death remains a mystery but veterinarians have some hunches. Large amounts of sand were found inside the pigs’ stomachs – clearly not their natural cuisine. One theory is that the pigs ingested the granules along with food left behind by tourists. Another completely different cause of death could be due to alcohol poisoning, as some island visitors tend to let the pigs in on their fun.
The deaths of these flat-snouted beach residents has brought some key issues to light. One of the owners responsible for the pigs, Wayde Nixon, admitted that anyone can bring food onto the beach. There are no rules or regulations posted, and visitors have treated the wild pigs like they’re in a petting zoo. Because the free handouts are difficult to resist, the pigs have spent less time in the forests where their natural food lies. (And we don’t blame them – we can’t say no to free food either!)
Tourism in the area is booming, and there is no other place to find pigs swimming in the ocean. What visitors fail to realize, however, is that the pigs are wild. They are best viewed from a distance.
In the future, the government plans to protect the remaining pigs by posting a warden on the beach. That way, the travelers will understand that these animals are important to the community and should not be mistreated.
Next time your travels bring you face to face with native wildlife, make sure to treat them with respect!