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I counted them. There were maybe 20 or 25 pigs total , and most were babies, adolescents, or young mothers. “Where are all the other pigs?” I asked one tour guide who was boasting about how she named all the piglets, and comes every day to feed them pancakes or veggies. I spoke with Susie Coston , Farm Sanctuary’s National Shelter Director and the best pig expert I know, and asked her about how the prolonged sun exposure might be affecting the pigs. She said: We can also put pressure on the government, tour companies, and local resorts to do better. There is currently no oversight or transparency. We really need to act now to stop this problem from growing (and spreading to more islands), and also urgethe government and tour companies to at the very least neuter the male pigs, provide sturdy shelter to protect them from the storms, and assign someone to look out for their care and wellbeing (food, water, sun protection, veterinary care, etc). Choose Cruelty-Free Travel & Compassionate Vacations While they have no natural predators on the island, the iguanas on Bitter Guana Cay are endangered – their biggest threat being humans. Although illegal, the iguanas are often hunted for human consumption. Yeah—but don’t worry, they roast them on a skewer and eat them, and nothing goes to waste. And no, we don’t serve them at the restaurant here—a lot of people ask that!”
It was then that the babies came running over. “My goodness,” I thought. There were tons of them! 10, maybe 15 piglets. Clearly multiple litters. One of the pigs pooped in the water near us, but you can easily avoid it. It’s all part of the tour! If you follow the instructions, they will not hurt you. Don’t scream or run, just put your hands up and say “no food.” I was surprised at how big many of the pigs were and what great swimmers they were. It can be unnerving when you see them come towards you, especially if their mouths are open. “No food” DO NOT feed the iguanas. It’s illegal to do so and just not good for them. They’re okay with you visiting, but if you’re a human behaving badly, don’t be surprised if they hurt you. Another beautiful beach
Nevertheless, the entrepreneur is encouraging others to “follow their passion” and come up with quirky business ideas of their own, whatever it may be. This was another, “ No way, I’m not doing that” wildlife experience our daughters protested about. To be honest, I didn’t think I would swim with sharks either. Many people come here to get married. I would love to return with a picnic, a good book, and oodles of time to sit with the view. Amazing photo opps! The beauty of this pig’s tour is not just that Pig Island is only 10-minutes-away, or the stops you make along the way, but getting to the stops. You’ll cruise by stunning beaches, small islands, and spectacular views. Pipe Creek is said to be one of the most spectacular sandbars in the Exumas, possibly The Bahamas. You need low tide and a small boat to access it.
Despite this, most of the tourists I talked with were not aware of any safety precautions they should take when interacting with the pigs. And the things I saw tourists do for the sake of a selfie photo were cringeworthy. It’s amazing there are not already more serious stories circling about serious injuries at Pig Island… but it’s only a matter of time.There are a lot of stories about how the wild pigs of the Exuma Islands came to be. In fact, there’s a whole book on the subject called ‘Pigs of Paradise’ byT. R. Todd, if you’re really interested. Piggy paradise As they are fed regularly by tourists who come to see them (healthy food pigs can eat) they pose no threat to the local wildlife as otherwise feral pigs would. Other stops on the Swimming with Pigs Bahamas Tour I’ll show you sit,” said the piggy leaping at him with teeth bared to snatch the carrot he was dangling above its head. He kind of squealed, threw the carrot, and ran!
Peak times are Christmas and New Year, Spring Break, the 4th of July, Bahamian Independence Day, and the first week in August. The Exuma Cays are an oasis of 365 remote islands stretching across the Tropic of Cancer in the southern half of The Bahamas. They are known for being more remote and exotic than the northern islands of the Bahamas. I realized that this is an animal tourist attraction not a whole lot different from the orcas imprisoned at SeaWorld or the orangutans at a zoo. The pigs are collectively managed by the locals, and used for profit. elease the pigs!” Moses Poitier yelled from the knee-deep aquamarine water gently lapping the shore of Crystal Beach on Grand Bahama Island.If you are doing the Swimming with Pigs tour with 3N’s Exuma Vacations, you will end with lunch at the Flying Pig Café located in the Embrace Resort on Staniel Cay. We ate at the Flying Pig every day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – during our four-night stay and loved the freshness of the food. And like well-trained piggies, they’d quietly swim away until they found the food they were looking for. I left the feeding to the experts, content to just watch and giggle at them. But it gets worse. Before I even arrived, I wondered what would happen when the pigs started overpopulating the infamous “Pig island,” since there are no predators around and the only limiting resource, I imagined, was food. Despite its oddity, it strikes me as more ethical to pet and feed domestic farm critters on a beach than to attempt the same with wild marine animals. Wilbur, Jumper, Princess, and Pearl are just a few of the 30 pigs that are fed, watered, and sheltered from the sub-tropical sun on Crystal Beach.
Wear reef-safe suncream. Don’t spoil the natural beauty of The Bahamas by wearing toxic suncream that harms the fish. Try to invest in a reef-safe suncream before you go. There are plenty of other reasons to visit the Bahamas—the beaches arebeautiful, and you can enjoy activities like snorkeling, paddle boarding, island hopping, and even swimming near wild sharks. The locals are incredibly friendly and kind, and it really is a beautiful place. One Bahamian wrote in sharing the following: That’s what I thought when I stumbled upon photos of the swimming pigs on “Pig Island” and booked my honeymoon trip after my vegan wedding to swim with pigs in the Bahamas. As a vegan traveller and a long-time lover of pigs, I thought that nothing in the world could top seeing pigs run free on their own island experiencing total liberation. I couldn’t wait. Our guide was excellent at telling us before the tour started, before we jumped off the boat for each stop, and even while we were having the experience, how to behave and care for the animals and avoid getting bitten. I did not see anyone from our group behaving badly. Listen to the guide and care for the animals. If you get bitten, consider what you were doing that led to that.Generally, if anyone gets bitten, it’s because they have made choices like this. I was grateful for the preparation we had from Captain Dave before getting in the water with them. It’s a fluke business I would say. I can’t actually explain it, it just kind of come as a whirlwind. It wasn’t planned at all, but I am so happy, I couldn’t be more grateful for the support that we have had,” Winter declared. The entire reason I chose this honeymoon destination to swim with the pigs was because I wanted to see pigs who had never been exploitedand who got to live out their entire lives in total freedom. They were initially brought as pets, however, after gaining popularity through tourism, the Compass Cay Marina has turned the environment into a sanctuary for dozens of nurse sharks in the area. But, if this works for you and you really want to see the pigs, then go for it. It would be a more affordable option and I’m sure others have enjoyed it.
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