Pigs have not had it easy lately, but when you think about it, they never have. Firstly, we continue to breed, kill and use them for all sorts of purposes, and as if that wasn’t enough, seemingly intelligent and compassionate people keep coming up with lame excuses for why we should eat them (why make excuses!). The news doesn’t get better — more than 900 abandoned pigs were recently found dead at a Pennsylvania farm and to top it all off, some geniuses thought it would be a great idea to make piggy banks made out of real piglets.

All this senseless cruelty directed at an intelligent, social and playful species that would rather live out their lives coexisting with humans that didn’t want to turn them into bacon or ham. Makes you really wonder what a world like that would look like. We’re not talking about pigs protected in sanctuaries, but a world where pigs could actually be themselves and not the filthy brutes we make them out to be. Imagine pigs frolicking in the sun, interacting with humans and generally have a good time. Sounds like some Utopian vision of pig paradise, doesn’t it?

Surprisingly, such a place exists, right here on planet earth; in the Bahamas no less! Welcome to Pig Beach, which can be found on Big Major Spot Island in the Bahamas. No one seems to know how these domestic pigs, turned feral made it to the beach, but they have been living there for generations. These beach bums spend their days lounging on the white sand; they swim in the water and survive on wild plants and roots, as well as food donations from tourists. The pigs have become a tourist attraction in themselves and are more than happy to go for a swim with you in exchange for some food. They are known to actually run into the water and swim towards oncoming boats, greeting them individually with rum cocktails (OK, we made up the part about the rum cocktails).

So the next time all the pig hate starts to drive you mad, think of the little pig paradise in the Bahamas, and try not to break a smile!

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