This Little Piggy...

Sometimes I stay late at work to get that extra project done in the cool and quiet of dusk. Recently, around 6:15 pm a mother wild boar and her piglets (boarlets?) have wandered through the property in search of nibbles. It has been a fun evening break to watch her herd the babies and teach them how to forage. The other day she had them in the road, and bravely squared off against my car until all her babies had crossed the road.
Early last week we heard that the mama boar had been shot.
Of course I was sad, and worried about the little ones. Now, I am no longer a vegetarian, and I know not the rules of hunting. But it seems to me that shooting a mama before her babies are out on their own is unecessary cruelty. I feared the little ones would be scared and unable to feed themselves, and would starve to death in a hole somewhere... eventually stinking to hog heaven and attracting pests.
I am also practical: I knew that as cute as they are now, we can't have seven full grown wild boar running around the property. They are voracious wild animals with big scary tusks! I knew they had limited lives. Nor am I against a good roasted Kahlua Pig. I just kind of thought we would pick off the yummy suckling pigs one by one. But not the mama!
So I was really excited this evening to see this:

Somehow that mama did right: In an environment being encroached upon by industry, she was able to teach her young to find food. I even liked seeing them all together: the siblings helping one another to find a meal...


In a completely unrelated story, and I am in no way attempting to implicate him, my Father made delicious Char Siu Pork!