Kindred Spirits Sanctuary: Pigs

The following is a photo account of my trip to Kindred Spirits Sanctuary in Ocala, Florida.

"Kindred Spirits is a non-profit farm animal sanctuary that helps neglected, abused, unwanted, or displaced farm animals."

This will be a 6-part series broken down by animals because each animal deserves their own spotlight.

 Part two is PIGS.

Click here if you missed part 1: cows.

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I asked the woman who was giving us the tour:


"I heard that pigs are as smart as dogs..?" 


She quickly replied, "They're smarter."

I believe this 'fella is Nomar. From the KSS site, "Right before Nomar came to live at Kindred Spirits and right after he was rescued from a fate worse than death, he was in a photo shoot with an Australian pop singer named Missy Higgins. Ms. Higgins is an enormously popular celebrity and is also a vegetarian! While Nomar was a child celebrity himself, he hasn’t let it go to his head. He is one of our sweetest and most outgoing pigs, and is always one of the first to come up and say hello! (Of course, it helps if you are toting treats then Nomar is first in line!).In February of 2005, Kindred Spirits Sanctuary received a call from PETA about a young piglet that needed placement. That piglet was Nomar, who turned out to be quite the celebrity.."

This black and white pig may be Mario. From the KSS site: "Mario was a pig on a mission. This amazing pig was on the run through upscale Tampa neighborhoods for two weeks before Florida Voices for Animals intervened and brought him safely to Kindred Spirits Sanctuary! Nobody is really sure where Mario came from originally, but once he was out, he was on the run!

There were many sightings of the black-and-white male pig as he sprinted across busy roads and rooted through backyards. While suburbanites in Tampa didn’t want their landscaping ruined, they also didn’t want anything to happen to a pig so tenacious. Florida Voices for Animals took action, and tried to persuade the trapper who had been dispatched to catch the pig to let him go to a sanctuary. Initially the trapper refused. The community responded, and after many phone calls and threats from concerned animal-loving citizens, the trapper not only decided to give Mario over to FVA, but another pig that he had recently trapped as well. Both pigs were assured a happy ending when FVA found Kindred Spirits Sanctuary.

John Moyer and Jim Gisondi of FVA personally escorted the two pigs to their new home at Kindred Spirits. The black-and-white pig had already been dubbed Mario (as in Andretti, based on his speed!), and the smaller female pig was named Poppy by Kindred Spirits’ staff. Mario and Poppy now spend their days eating, rooting, bathing in their mud hole and enjoying the warm Florida weather in style!"

More of the animal stories can be found through the KSS website here

I loved these little guys! Their cute tails kept wagging with joy it seemed!

"Heyyyy guys!!"

I didn't even get to see this lady stand up, but I think she was as big as a cow!! my goodness...amazing!

Some of the pigs were kind of deformed looking from inbreeding...

Want to help a pig at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary??


From KSS website: Sponsoring a farm animal through Kindred Spirits Sanctuary is a win-win situation! People who care about these animals and their stories, but don’t have the time or space to adopt a farm animal, can still give a needy farm animal a great life! Sponsorships cover the cost of feed, shelter costs, and routine veterinary care for a particular animal for the duration you choose. You can sponsor an animal for an annual, bi-annual, quarter, or month duration. Each sponsorship is prepaid and does not renew automatically. By sponsoring a Kindred Spirit, you are assisting Kindred Spirits Sanctuary in providing the best care for each animal that makes his or her home here.


One year: $420
Six Months: $210
Three Months: $105
One Month: $35


Click here to sponsor a pig! oink. or choose another animal. Donate through paypal!
(As a side note, I was NOT asked by the sanctuary to provide this information on my blog. I'm only doing it because after my visit to the sanctuary, I truly believe in what they're doing, and I know if my blog readers could visit that they would feel the same way. All of the information I've posted here is from my own personal account with visiting the sanctuary, and information from their website.)


Keep an eye out for part three: chickens!