Meet Molly and Melody!

Meet Molly and Melody piglets! Each made a leap from a truck to save their own lives!

Farmers ripped two-week-old Molly away from her mother when she was young. Can you imagine how scared she must have been? Piglets stay with their moms for months, not weeks, and Molly must have been desperate to reunite with her. 

Molly was crammed into a transport trailer. We do not know their destination, only that it would end tragically for Molly. Piglets are slaughtered at only 6-mos-old. As the truck drove through Sacramento, Ca, Molly did something dangerous and daring…she jumped. 

You read that right! She leapt from the truck. She fractured her rear leg and suffered road rash, but she survived. Local animal control captured her and called us. 

Even though our pig herds are nearly at capacity, Molly’s story reminds us so much of Rita – a heavily pregnant pig who jumped from a moving truck, saving her life and the lives of her babies. Rita passed away a few years ago, but what better way to honor her life than by saving Molly?

Molly is receiving treatment for her leg and supportive care to manage her pain and discomfort. 

When Molly first arrived, she was scared of everything. Animal care director Hannah brought Molly into her home. It did not take long for Molly to get comfortable. You would have laughed to see her wrestling with a blanket and snacking on delicious strawberries. 

Molly continues to socialize and is getting friendlier every day. 

But we received some bad news about her health.

When Molly jumped off the transport truck, she damaged her rear leg. The plates in her leg are not growing. She is at risk of a shorter rear leg, which will cause early arthritis and difficulty getting up and down.

The extent of damage will not be known until she reaches full-size, which takes up to 5 years in pigs.

Until then, she will receive shockwave therapy, cold laser therapy, physical therapy, and pain management. 

Molly may be a candidate for a prosthetic to extend her leg but that will wait until she is older and other treatments are tried. 

Soon after Molly’s rescue, we learned about another piglet in need. A piglet with the same incredible story as Molly.

A piglet with helicopter ears jumped from a truck in southern California. Good Samaritans saved Melody and drove her to an animal shelter. Melody suffered from some road rash but was in otherwise good condition.  

Despite everything she went through, Melody’s spirits are high. She loves people and enjoys watermelon buffets. To make sure she was healthy, Melody was kept separated from Molly until it was time for introductions.

Molly and Melody’s introductions did not go as planned. 

We were shocked by how unwelcoming Molly was to Melody. And soon, Melody began to feel the same about Molly. What would we do if neither could get along? 

With a lot of patience and time, caregivers succeeded at socializing Molly and Melody. It was a rocky start but today, the two can be found cuddling together. Molly and Melody need to be spayed and their surgeries will happen soon! You have nurtured animals back to health in the past, and we hope to see you do the same for Molly and Melody. You can support their immediate and ongoing care with a donation today.

Join our Moo-News and stay informed on the happenings at Animal Place as well as ways you can help make this a kinder, more just world for farmed animals!

Share to...