Remember Esther the Wonder Pig? Two years ago, she swept into the lives of a Canadian couple named Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter (who mistakenly believed that they had just agreed to house a miniature pig, rather than a full-sized commercial one) and immediately began to work her magic.

She inspired her guardians to embrace a vegan lifestyle, quickly garnered thousands of fans through her Facebook page, and almost single-handedly brought about a revolution in the way many of those new admirers viewed pigs and other farm animals.

With her beauty, her wit, and her hilarious Facebook pictures, Esther has proven herself to be a truly inspiring animal ambassador, changing hearts and minds everywhere she goes. Derek and Steve refer to it as the “Esther effect.”

And now, this wonder pig is well on the way to achieving her latest goal: the foundation of The Esther Effect Farm Animal Sanctuary in Ontario!

At the time of writing – and with just five days to go until her Indiegogo campaign closes – $356,539 CAD has been raised. This amount represents 89 percent of the $400,000 CAD that Steve and Derek will require to secure the farm.

In a June 4 update to the campaign page, Steve admitted that “(b)efore the Indiegogo campaign started, I don’t think either one of us recognized that this would become the biggest undertaking of our lives and that so many people would be changed by our experience with Esther.” Though he and Derek admitted to feeling anxious over whether or not their funding goal would be achieved, “we are (also) touched daily by the stories of people who are doing all they can to live an animal-compassionate life.”

The name of Esther was once given to an ancient queen who led her subjects to safety just as they were about to be killed, and so, it could not have been more suitable for this wonder pig. As Steve explained to OGP back in January: “Esther came to us with a purpose, she survived for a reason and it’s finally clear. She’s here to be a shining star of hope for all of us who know we can do better. She’s here to bring awareness to the suffering of her species and dare we say … lead them away from the massacre we created for them. She’s a pig with a purpose. One person and one mind at a time, she’s changing the world.”

If you want to help ensure that The Esther Effect Farm Animal Sanctuary comes into being, click here to Donate today.

Image source: Esther the Wonder Pig