MORTY

One day, our founder was scrolling through Facebook when a post in a pig group caught her eye. Someone was offering their pig as “free bacon” after he had started attempting to bite her children.

In the comments, a person eagerly responded that they could pick him up the next day and take him straight to the butcher. Horrified, our founder immediately reached out to the owner, asking if we could take him instead. Thankfully, they agreed. Without hesitation, our board member Greg loaded up a van and drove 10 hours round trip to the California border to rescue the pig named Morty. 

When Greg arrived, it became painfully clear why Morty had started acting out. He had been kicked, teased, and had objects thrown at him by the very children he once lived alongside. Though he had been raised as a house pig, as soon as he outgrew his owners' expectations, they tossed him outside to fend for himself. His only companion was a turkey that roamed the property with him.

By the time Morty arrived at Rewild Refuge, he was morbidly obese, deeply depressed, and understandably angry. He lashed out at anyone who came near him, his trust in humans completely shattered. He had never met another pig in his four years of life, so introducing him to our pig herd required months of careful, patient introductions.

With consistent kindness, a proper diet, and a lot of patience, Morty slowly began to heal—both physically and emotionally. Today, he is one of our most inspiring transformations. While he still prefers to sleep alone, he has formed friendships with some of the other pigs and even allows a few trusted team members to pet him. He enjoys supervised walks around the property, basking in the sun, and wagging his tail in excitement when he sees the people he loves. Because of his past trauma, we are careful to keep children at a distance, but despite everything he’s been through, Morty has learned to trust again. And on rare but special occasions, we even catch him snuggling up with his pig friends—proof that love and patience can truly change a life!