Pigs of Paradise: The Story of the World-Famous Swimming Pigs

Product Information

As enormous non-native animals that are an unusual mix between feral and domestic, they run right up to people, but are often aggressive and pose a serious danger to visitors. But there is nobody looking out for the safety of tourists (unless they are there with a tour company). The swimming pigs are a major tourist attraction.

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:

You may also like...

We learned the true story of where the pigs came from Natajia at Embrace Resort. And on what authority does she have to tell this? Snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto was my favorite part of the Swimming with Pigs tour. Not all tours go here, especially those coming in from Nassau by boat for the day tours. Like anyone, too much sun is not good. Pigs can get skin cancer and other illnesses and likely suffer for a long time without treatment.”

These twins Peppa and Salt were enjoying their time swimming and being fed by locals and tourists. (Photo creds Kadeem Joseph, Carlena Knight and Tekiah Minot) Again, strict instructions told us how to safely interact with them, with warnings to keep our fingers out of the water lest we wanted them to be mistaken for fish food and bitten. These are docile nurse sharks with tiny teeth (that can still do some damage).

Detail Pages

Well, her grandparents were the original inhabitants of Staniel Cay and so she knows how the pigs moved from that island to the one next door, Big Major Cay. If you’re planning ahead and wondering when to fit this attraction into your Bahamas itinerary, then you will want to plan your visit for outside the hurricane season. With all of the animals being piglets, Winter revealed that once the pigs get too big, they go into retirement. Some safely on farms through the work of local sponsors in a charity that she’s set up. It has only been the past five years that swimming with these pigs became a thing and now it is one of the most popular things to do in all of the Bahamas. It’s ok to pet them 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.