In this post, I am going to tell you all about Esther and her story, and how she changed my life. I touched on her story a little bit in the previous post but will go into more depth about her here.
Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter were living in Canada when Steve got a call from an old college friend. The friend knew that Steve loved animals, and she had a "mini-pig" she was trying to rehome.
Steve knew that was a big commitment, but when she reached out again saying if he didn't answer soon, she had someone else who would take the little pig, he jumped on the opportunity and little did he know his life would never be the same.
He went to pick up the little pig he would call Esther:
Steve was under the impression that Esther would grow to be the size of a large dog, but boy was he in for a surprise.
After telling his partner Derek, Derek was not pleased and did not want to keep her because they already had two other dogs and two cats. But eventually, as Derek saw Esther's personality and how intelligent she was, he couldn't help but fall in love with her.
When they took Esther to the vet, they were in for the news of a lifetime: Esther was not a mini pig (fun fact: mini pigs do not actually exist!) but a full-sized, commercial pig who was born on a farm that would eventually turn her into food. The vet said she could grow up to 600 pounds, and she did just that (Esther currently weighs somewhere around 500-600 lbs).
When they found out she would keep growing, they knew they could not stay in their house in the city where there was no room for a pig. Steve started posted pictures of Esther on her own Facebook page and saw that she was gaining many supporters. He would eventually start a fundraiser to raise money to buy a farm where they could live, and take in other abandoned animals who needed a home.
They reached this goal and ended up raising almost half a million dollars, and bought a farm in Campbellville, Ontario. Now, Happily Ever Esther is home to so many different animals who get to live the rest of their lives with no worries of pain or sorrow.
Esther, because she is the queen of the farm, lives inside the home with Steve and Derek, and her dog and turkey brother, Phil and Cornelius. Esther actually has two beds, one in the living room, and one in her own room. Esther has millions of Facebook fans who come to see her over the tour season.
I, myself, travel up to Canada every summer to go see Esther because she has impacted my life greatly. During a time where I was struggling with severe anxiety and depression, I would watch Esther all day and smile. I loved watching her get into trouble and seeing how smart she was. She would open the door with her snout, knock things over to get food to fall on the floor, and more. She also loved going swimming in her pool and getting belly rubs.
Many people might see Esther and think she is different, and one of a kind of a pig, but she is not. All pigs have feelings and want to live. Getting to visit many farm sanctuaries, pigs are incredibly affectionate and have many traits similar to dogs.
If there is any reason why you would leave pigs off your plate, do it for all the pigs who never got the chance to experience a life like Esther. If you want to follow Esther's daily happenings, follow her on Instagram at Esther The Wonder Pig, or visit her facebook page.
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