An update to this travel story about the swimming pigs of Exuma, Bahamas:
According to the Tribune 242 an investigation by the Bahamas Humane Society (BHS) is underway to determine what killed a number of swimming pigs in the Exumas, Bahamas.
Reports surfaced over the weekend about the deaths of more than six pigs, one of the Bahamas’ most popular tourism attractions. Whether the pigs were intentionally poisoned of if they accidentally ingested something deadly has yet to be determined. According to BHS pesident Kim Aranha, the pigs were thrown into the sea after being found dead at Big Major Cay this past weekend.
As our boat pulled up to a small island located in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas, a large pink and white pig wandered out of the jungle and headed to the water’s edge to check us out.
It was then Captain Ray of Exuma Cays Ocean Safari hopped off our boat and waded to shore grabbing the lid to a plastic garbage can, which he began to bang with a stick. Moments later a large black sow headed onto the beach and into the sea and began swimming towards our boat. And that was when the fun began. As we all piled out of our boat, cameras and cellphones held high above our heads, we were soon joined by four sows, an extremely large male and about half a dozen piglets who stuck close to shore.
This was the moment we’d been waiting for since planning our trip to Exuma three months before and it was worth the wait. Armed with what we were promised were chicken hot dogs and bags of day-old buns, we waded near the shore feeding the pigs, which appeared to love the back rubs and pats we were showering on them.
But it was the black sow that turned out to be the friendliest (hungriest) of the bunch and she eventually swam up to the boat and rested her two front hooves on the rail as she gobbled up wieners at an alarming rate presenting us with a perfect photo op. (The tour operators also take out fresh water and actual pig food to the swine family on each of the two daily tours.)
Almost as astounding was our stop at another island, home to a colony of critically endangered Exuma Island iguanas. As our boat pulled up to shore, the iguanas slithered out from under small rock formations and the jungle eager to accept our gifts of fresh grapes. And while not quite as friendly as the pigs, the iguanas were a real highlight of the tour.
