Esther the Wonder Pig is 600 pounds of pure piggy love
Six hundred pounds is a lot to love.
Esther the Wonder Pig has a big presence both in person and on the Internet. With 194,000 Instagram followers, the big pig brings smiles to people all over the world.
Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter of Ontario, Canada are partners who co-parent Esther.
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"We got Esther in August 2012 after a friend contacted me on Facebook," Steve told Mashable in an email. "She said she had a mini pig that needed a home, and asked if I was interested. We had never talked about it before, but I had always loved animals and the thought of having a pig was amazing to me. I decided without consulting Derek, and the very next day met this friend and collected Esther."
While Steve was expecting a micro pig, Esther ended up being a commercial pig, which is just about the opposite. She currently weighs 600 pounds and has the intelligence of a human toddler.
Raising Esther has many similarities to raising a dog, as she enjoys eating and roaming outside. The main difference is the need for a larger bed and plenty of fresh produce for a healthy diet.
Esther has also inspired Steve and Derek to completely change their lifestyles.
"Once we got to know her, the thought of her being part of the food chain was really upsetting to us. As a result we adopted what we call an 'Esther Approved' diet," Steve explained. "Changing our lifestyle was never on our radar, but Esther made it really hard to ignore. Within a couple months we began removing animal products from our diet, before becoming completely vegan a few weeks later."
The couple has been vegan for two years now and have never felt better.
By making Esther into the public 'Wonder Pig' she is, Steve and Derek hope to teach the world about loving and taking proper care of animals.
"Esther clearly outgrew our expectations surrounding her size, but we made it work," Steve said. "Pets are forever, and no matter happened we were going to make sure Esther had the life she deserved. We loved her no matter how big she got, and unfortunately many, many people see pets as disposable leaving shelters overflowing with unwanted animals."
Taking care of such a large animal can be a lot of work, but Steve and Derek couldn't be happier with the choice they've made.
"The rewards are hard to put into words," Steve told Mashable. "There's something magical about getting to know a pig."
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