Animal rights activists are calling for an end to the pig scramble at the Westmorland County Agricultural Fair in Petitcodiac, N.B.
During the event, children’s names are entered in a draw and 12 participants are chosen at random. Then they chase the piglets around a ring and try to catch them.
The piglets are donated from a local farmer and whoever catches a pig can keep it, or organizers will buy it back and auction it off to a pig farmer.
The pig scramble was revived last year after being scrapped, but some animal rights groups want it gone for good.
“These factory piglets from six to eight months old, they are freaking out. They are scared to death with what’s happening to them,” says Rita Bihr of Stop Animal Cruelty NB.
“These parents are not giving the right example to their children, how children should be brought up. They should have respect for all living creatures.”
In previous years, the pigs were put into a sack when caught. Organizers say the SPCA asked that that portion of the competition be omitted, and they complied, but the executive director of the SPCA says he doesn’t see the purpose of the pig scramble.
“Pig scrambles by now should be something that should have gone into the past. We’ve really evolved beyond chasing around an animal simply for entertainment purposes,” says Hilary Howes.
The president of the Westmorland County Fair says he has received a few complaints in the past about the event, but that most of them come from outside the region.
“A lot of the complaints come from overseas and all the foreign countries to me that really don’t know what is going on,” says Phillip Macleod.
“It’s one of the most popular events to the Westmorland County Fair.”
The pig scramble in Petitcodiac is the only one left in the province. This year there are two events – one on Friday and another on Saturday – and Howes says someone from the SPCA will be on hand to monitor them.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
