Sanctuary Stories

2 Rescued Pigs Honor the Memory of Slain Animal Rights Activist Regan Russell

2 piglets rescued from a factory farm are named for someone who wanted every pig to have a chance at the good life

Tenderly
Published in
3 min readJul 8, 2020

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2 white-and-brown spotted piglets cuddling on a blanket on the floor next to some dog crates.
Regan and Russell. Photos: Arthur’s Acres

On the grounds of a former backyard slaughterhouse now resides new life, new freedom and new hope, and at a time when many animal lovers could really use it. At Arthur’s Acres pig sanctuary in New York, two pigs recently rescued from a factory farm now hold an important namesake, that of Regan Russell, the dedicated activist who was killed this month by a truck carrying pigs to a slaughterhouse in Ontario, Canada.

Pigs Regan and Russell may not know it, but they are now helping to carry out Russell’s legacy by living out their lives as she would have wanted for all farmed animals: free from oppression and harm.

When Arthur’s Acres founder Todd Friedman learned of the two pigs being given up by a farmer in Iowa, through PETA senior manager John Di Leonardo, he says he had to prepare himself for both the many hours of travel and what he would face when he arrived at the farm. “I had to mentally prepare through nine hours of travel about going into a factory farm and seeing these animals who I rescue every day, and who are…

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