Many of you may have been watching brave Holly as she took control of her disability and charged down the hill to the dam where she could be comfortable and able-bodied.
Sadly the loss of spinal function in a pig often affects more than the legs and this was sadly the case with Holly. Unfortunately her dash to the dam did not save her.
Holly died peacefully on Monday afternoon in the company of her favourite carer, Mark, after it had all become too much for her to continue to fight.
It is always devastating for us when an animal dies. In Holly’s case we are crushed. We nursed her back to health when she was a 3 week old piglet rescued from a piggery that had left her sick, covered in faeces and terrified of everything.
As the months went by, Holly became loved by so many of our visitors. She would flop over onto her side at the sight of any new face and wait for the belly rub that she loved so dearly. 
Holly would have lived a miserable life at the piggery she was rescued from, scared, cold and uncomfortable (there is no lovely soft straw in piggeries). She would have been slaughtered to be made into a Christmas ham when she was 4 months old.
After her rescue Holly enjoyed soft bedding, affection, quality medical care and respect. Her 18 months with us was far too short, but she did live a happier and longer life than any of the other pigs that were in the piggery she was rescued from.
Unfortunately we couldn’t fix the impact on her spine of the fast growth rate and weight gain that had been programmed into her by the food industry before she was born. Like many animals “designed” by the food industry Holly was simply not meant to live very long.
As you remember Holly’s chuckle, her addiction to belly rubs, her cleverness and her love of people, please remember that so many others never get to do any of these things, because they are simply considered food.
This has been our most difficult week. Losing Holly has devastated our entire team and we miss her ever single minute.
Please honour Holly’s memory by telling others her story, of her courage, of her love of people and of her intense desire to live. Please tell them of the pain that the consumption of bacon, ham and small goods exacts upon these clever, sociable and sensitive creatures.
Finally, thanks for your support. The pain that we feel having lost Holly is only mitigated by your desire for us to go on and continue to be a voice for the most abused animals on the planet.
We will remember Holly always. We hope you will too.
Brad
