In September 2018, Hurricane Florence gave the people of North Carolina nothing but powerful winds and heavy rain. Tons of humans and animals scrambled to survive and some didn’t make it. But in the aftermath of the storm, several animals made unexpected guest appearances. Scary creatures like snakes and alligators even crawled out of the floodwaters. But 20-year-old Josh Walls was shocked when he noticed a pig walking down the road as he walked out of his home. Most people don’t think twice about pigs, particularly what they went through so they would end up on someone’s plate. This story is so heartwarming that you’ll never want to touch a slice of bacon ever again.But the pig that showed up near his house really threw him for a loop. It was adorable, but he wasn’t sure where it came from or whether it was even friendly or hostile. Walls was curious to find out.
Walls assumed that the pig’s oinking was friendly, cheerful, and cute. It didn’t take him long to realize that the pig was actually quite friendly. From the looks of it, the creature seemed to have survived something horrific.
The pig may have belonged to a factory farm that breeds pigs to produce pork products. At this type of farm, pigs are placed in tiny, claustrophobic crates inside dark buildings. They rarely, if ever, get to see daylight. But the farm was engulfed by floods during the storm, which gave this pig the chance to see the world.
The moment they were out of the building, the animals swam for their lives in order to avoid going under. Since the pigs were in captivity, they weren’t used to so much physical exertion. Many didn’t survive, but this one is pretty lucky.
The first thing he did was escort the pig to his yard. Then he gave him some food and water. Afterwards, he used mud to cover Flo’s skin. He knew this would likely relieve some of the pain caused by the sunburn on his skin.
Sadly, Walls wasn’t allowed to keep Flo on the property, so he and his mom decided to come up with an alternate solution. They reached out to Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary in Providence, North Carolina. That’s where sanctuary co-founders, Kristin Hartness and Jay Yontz, agreed to take the pig in.
Hartness managed to find a family in the area who could look after Flo until they arrived to pick the pig up. The local family also scrambled to find a vehicle so they could transport Flo safely. Meanwhile, Walls remained by Flo’s side in the front yard.
Over a period of three or four days, Walls claimed that he learned more about pigs than he ever had in his whole life. The temporary family arrived at Wall’s home around midnight, but the vehicle they were expecting never came.
The family managed to care for Flo until Hartness and Yontz were able to pick him up and take him to the sanctuary. There, Flo won everyone over with his goofy and lovable attitude. But Flo was having trouble breathing and he had a fever, so Hartness and Yontz took him to a vet.
Hartness and Yontz have rescued other pigs from factory farms, and they claim that the pigs are always grateful for their second chance. Meanwhile, Walls formed such a strong bond with Flo that he’s planning to visit him at Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary very soon.
