They may be victims of becoming too popular. Several of the famous swimming pigs of Exuma Islands in the Bahamas are dead because of tourists feeding them. Although it was widely reported that the pigs may have died from being fed rum and beer by tourists, the autopsy on several of the dead pigs indicate ingesting sand is to blame. The pigs most likely ingested the sand because of the food thrown onto the beach for them by visitors.
The exact number of pigs that died and left alive has not been conclusively reported, but only around 15 pigs are thought to be left alive.
Wayde Nixon, who is said to have started the pigs colony 30 years ago told The Nassau Guardian that the pigs have become too popular an attraction. “Right now it’s blowing out of proportion,” he said, “with people, anybody bringing food there, anybody doing what they [want to] do. We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kind of stuff. That never happened, but lately [it has] because it’s so big [so popular], and we are never really there all the time.”
The pigs are famous for swimming with visitors and are very friendly. They have become a major tourist attraction.
The Bahamas Humane Society launched an investigation into the possible cause for the pigs’ death. Exuma’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries V Alfred Gray indicated that the pigs had died from ingestion of sand on March 1, 2017. He had reviewed the chief veterinary officer’s autopsy report according to Tribune242. He said, “The report is in place, I have not had the chance to digest the total contents of it but I am satisfied that the pigs died from ingestion of sand material.”
The results do indicate that tourists may still be indirectly to blame. “As you know some people feed the pigs as they swim in the water, other people throw things on the sand for them to eat from the sand. You know sand is indigestible, sand cannot be digested, and the autopsy which was performed on one or two of the animals showed that they had a good amount of sand in their stomach. Sand not being able to be passed out by normal processes or digested had something to do with those animals having died.”
Minister Gray said that the investigation is continuing and blood samples are still being tested in the labs to see if there is “any other contributing factor”.
That aside, a woman who visited the pigs on the uninhabited island backed up Nixon’s account that the pigs are fed alcohol.
“We did a live-aboard (a trip dedicated to scuba diving) with good friends in the Exuma’s and stopped to visit these charming pigs that are so irresistible they attract visitors from all over the world. Arriving at this small, and otherwise uninhabited island, is an experience you are unlikely to forget or avoid feeling privileged to have.” Francesca Viviana LaSala wrote on Facebook.
“The friendly pigs (ranging from small babies to huge adults) are usually lounging on their private beach but many immediately swim out to greet visitors. The sight of a large group of happy pigs in tropical water is fabulous, humorous, endearing and surreal. A few lounged and napped in the sand with their babies.”
“We brought them apples which are safe to feed them but unfortunately others were not always as kind and gave them unhealthy junk food, tried to ride them like horses or poured alcohol down their throats.”
Gray and the Ministry of Tourism, along with the owners of the pigs, are now planning to put protocols in place to ensure the surviving pigs are fed only by hand. It may prove difficult, but Gray and others hope to keep the pigs safe and still able to maintain the tourist attraction.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.