Montreal, May 14, 2014 – A few weeks ago, a young piglet named Rosalie was found and brought to the Montreal SPCA. She was just a under a month old, and yet all of her teeth and her tail had been cut, which is standard practice in the pork industry. Rosalie is considered to be lucky, as she likely escaped a life of misery – the life of a pig at a factory farm.

Rosalie’s story:

Rosalie’s mother spends her entire life confined to a metal gestation crate so small she is unable to turn around, stretch her legs, or lie down comfortably. Her piglets’ teeth and tail are cut off, and if they are male, they are also castrated. All this, without any anesthesia or pain control.

Gestation crates cause unimaginable physical and psychological suffering to sows like Rosalie’s mother. Pigs housed in gestation crates suffer from wounds and pressure sores from rubbing against the bars of their cages or lying on hard concrete floors, they also perform repetitive behaviors such as biting and banging the metal bars of their cages out of frustration and boredom, often until they injure themselves. Additional information about the horrors of gestation crates as well as footage taken during an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals Canada is available here.

Like all pigs, Rosalie is a smart, sensitive animal who feels pain, fear, and stress, and who is capable of engaging in complex tasks. Highly social, pigs naturally spend their time in groups and are very active and playful. Studies show that pigs are more intelligent than dogs and even than some primates. “As difficult as the truth may be, consumers need to understand how their choices in purchasing directly affect the lives of animals” said Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “We want to raise awareness of factory farming practices so that consumers can make informed decisions regarding their food choices, and we want the public to meet Rosalie so that they realize that pigs are just as intelligent as our pet dogs”.

Since arriving at the Montreal SPCA, Rosalie has been sterilized and now spends her days enjoying belly rubs from volunteers, play dates with dogs, playing ball, spending time outside basking in the sun and rooting in hay looking for toys and treats! We invite the media to visit Rosalie, by appointment, at the Montreal SPCA on Wednesday, May 14th and Thursday, May 15th 2014 before she heads out to the new home we found for her: a pig sanctuary called Ruby Ranch. At her sanctuary, Rosalie will befriend other pigs and enjoy a wonderful happy and healthy life. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the millions of other sows in Canada who are forced to live their lives confined in spaces so small that they cannot even turn around. Please help the Montreal SPCA spread awareness about the life of pigs in factory farms and the horrors of gestation crates.

Here is how you can take a stand and make a difference starting today:

• Ask Canadian grocery stores such as Loblaws, Sobeys, Walmart and Metro to stop supporting cruelty to animals by refusing to purchase pork from factory farms that confine pigs in gestation crates. By making this simple change, these companies can send the pork industry a clear and powerful message that gestation crates have no future in Canada.
• Educate friends and family about the cruelty of factory farming in Canada.
• Refuse to purchase pork products from any retailer that has not committed to purchasing only from suppliers that don’t use gestation crates, or even better refrain from buying pork products altogether.

Thank you for helping pigs and raising awareness about their wonderful personalities!
For more information on this subject, here are helpful links:

• http://www.hsicanada.ca/farmed_animals/gestation_crates/
• http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/gestation_crates.html
• http://www.walmartcruelty.com/
• http://www.mercyforanimals.org/pigabuse/
• http://www.chooseveg.com/pigs.asp

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Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Media Relations Coordinator, Montreal SPCA, 514-226-3932, or anitak@spca.com.

For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.

About the Montreal SPCA: The SPCA was the first humane society in Canada, founded in 1869. Guided by the humane ethic, it is the mission of the Montreal SPCA to:

• protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
• represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
• raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.