MONTCALM COUNTY, Mich. — As the coronavirus pandemic continues, many animal rescues across the nation are pinching pennies to keep doing the work that means most to them. Bobby and Kelly Wilmoth, who own No Swine Left Behind on E. Coral Road in Day Township, are among them.
"Right now people have just put a stop to donating to those things. Some is because maybe they’re donating to some other human funds to fight the battle of this pandemic crisis that we’re in," Bobby said.
"Some of it might be that some of the donors that were continuously supporting these rescues and our rescue lost their jobs and they’re worried about how they’re going to feed their families."
But while the nation deals with the pandemic, the Wilmoths say they're getting calls at least every other day about pigs who need their help, many whose owners can't take care of them anymore.
"They just don’t understand the maintenance that’s involved," Kelly said.
"A bored pig is a destructive pig. They will eat your floors. They’ll eat your drywall. They’ll tear up your carpeting. They’re very smart. They need enrichment. A lot of people just don’t understand what goes into it. It’s just a lack of research.
So the Wilmoths got creative and Bobby's now going to live his life as a pig until the rescue raises $3,000 to go toward more fencing and shelters so they can take in more pigs.
The endeavor means Bobby will sleep in the barn and spend all day in the pasture. He'll eat from a rubber farm bowl and forgo showering until the goal is met. The only thing he'll come inside to do is go to the bathroom.
"No sleeping bags or pillows or anything like that," he said. "There’s just a case of water there. I’m going to be in that barn and in this pasture area with these pigs until we reach our $3,000 goal."
Bobby says his sacrifice will be worth it to help the pigs.
"They're so affectionate and so loving and so caring and just so much fun to be around," he said.
"They don't deserve to be dropped off like these four here were in the middle of December in a frozen field with no shelter, no food, no water. Without places like this, what happens to all the animals that are out there that depend on these places?"
If you'd like to donate, you can do so through Facebook or on their website.
More animal stories:
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- Tiger at New York City's Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus
- BISSELL Pet Foundation is sponsoring reduced adoption fees amid COVID-19 concerns
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