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East County News Service
Photo via Joe Little's Twitter feed
October 9, 2022 (Mesa Grande Reservation, Calif.) – In the middle of the night last week, someone dumped off over a hundred pet pigs on the Mesa Grande tribal reservation near Santa Ysabel. Several have been struck by vehicles, leading animal rescue groups and residents to try and aid the animals.
According to ECM news partner NBC San Diego, the County Department of Animal Services has indicated it does not have jurisdiction on tribal land, but did offer to help roundup the pigs. The County told NBC 7 that tribal leaders had not yet responded as of Thursday. However, one rescue group posted the following message received from the Mesa Grande tribe:
The Mesa Grande Tribal EPA Department has been working with the United State Department of Agricultural Wildlife Services, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as local ranchers and volunteer organizations to humanely capture and remove the pigs but are being hindered by well-meaning citizens dropping off food and water by the side of the road. If citizen(s) would like to help, they can donate feed or funds at the Mesa Grande Tribal office (26000 Mesa Grande Road, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070) . We will work diligently to find these pigs new homes,” the message adds. “We are open to adoptions. We ask that citizens not approach the pigs and do not drop off food and water on the side of the road. Mesa Grande would like to thank all volunteers, officials and organizations thus far.
Best regards, Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians
The phone number for the Mesa Grande tribal office is (760)782-3818.
Little Bitty Animal Sanctuary has been assisting in rescues. Efforts proved difficult and at times heartbreaking, including finding five piglets dead near the side of the highway. Sanctuary volunteers were able to rescue and revive the mother and her two remaining piglets, which have been named Mesa and Grande.
“If any farm rescues or sanctuaries in the SoCal/San Diego area have space or can offer any assistance, please call the Mesa Grande tribal office,” the Little Bitty Animal Sanctuary posted on Facebook.
It is unknown who abandoned the estimated 100 to 150 pigs, or why, though the large number suggests a breeder or pet marketer. NBC and KPBS report that the pigs were a species normally raised as pets, not for meat. They lack the skills of feral pigs and some have died of various causes.
As ECM previously reported, there is a trend among unscrupulous pet dealers to market pigs as miniature or even tea-cup sized. When pet owners discover their pigs are growing too large to manage as pets, some have abandoned the animals.
If you have a pet pig or other animal that you can no longer care for, don’t abandon it to suffer or die. Instead, contact the San Diego Humane Society at https://www.sdhumane.org/ to assure that your pet will be cared for until an adoptive home can be found.
"San Diego Humane Society will take in pigs (or any animal) that an owner cannot care for in the jurisdictions we serve. For someone living outside of our jurisdiction, we’d work with the owner to try to find a solution, to prevent something like this from happening again," says Nina Thompson, director of public relations for the San Diego Humane Society.
If you have any information on whoever dumped off more than 100 pigs on the Mesa Grande reservation near Santa Ysabel and Ranchita, please report this information to the San Diego Humane Society. The individual responsible could face criminal animal cruelty charges.
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