Rescued pigs multiplying at Pigsburgh Squealers

Organizers are monitoring 12 pigs that could be pregnant.

By TAWNYA PANIZZI TribLive

Blue Martin came home to her Frazer farm Wednesday to find a rescued pig had given birth to six babies.

“She was out in the field. Thank gosh I could hear the babies crying,” said Martin, owner of Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue, a 25-acre nonprofit no-kill pig sanctuary where abandoned or abused pigs can find forever homes.

This week’s birth brings the number of pigs rescued in June from a Rostraver hoarding situation to 86.

Martin initially took in about 60 of more than 80 pigs seized by Rostraver police from a home owned by Wendi Kraemer, 59. Kraemer also uses the last name Garza, police said. Kraemer’s home was condemned, and she faces a public nuisance charge during a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 13.

“The person who had them let them all inbreed,” Martin said. “We have about a dozen more females that could be pregnant so we’re watching them closely. They are all separated now with new pens. There will be no more babies made, period.”

The decision to take the animals will cost Pigsburgh Squealers more than $60,000, Martin said. She couldn’t turn the animals away.

“They all showed up with wounds from fighting,” Martin said. “They are all starting to relax now. We’re trying to give everyone individualized care but the sheer number makes it difficult.”

About $6,500 has been spent on fencing to quarantine the new arrivals; another $12,000 went for shelters. Martin said 15 of the rescues have been neutered at $250 each.

“I just keep thinking we have 60 more to do, multiplied by a couple hundred dollars each,” she said. “With the new babies born, it’s going to be thousands of more dollars to care for them. That’s a really big wall of fundraising.”

It is Martin’s policy to spay or neuter every pig before they are fostered or adopted.

She’s waiting for word on a grant through a charitable trust that would pay for about 30 surgeries.

Martin is appealing to anyone interested in helping to book a tour of the farm or attend events like Swine & Unwind Pig Yoga on July 4, the Motorcycle Run on July 11 or the Summer Pig-Nic on July 25.

About 30 pigs have already been placed with fosters, and another dozen are being prepped for temporary care. The Squealers still are responsible for their food and care.

“The hard part is watching these births and having some of them born with deformities because of the inbreeding,” Martin said.

“We’re not a rescue that ever has babies, so thankfully the moms have been caring for the babies well.”

The Squealers have saved 414 pigs since 2016. There already were 50 pigs on site before the newcomers.

Martin thanked volunteers who helped construct a 1-acre pen and erect 900 feet of fence, as well as people who have donated to the pigs’ care.

“I’m usually up late every night dealing with new babies or illnesses,” Martin said. “It’s been a wild and crazy month, but it’s going relatively well.”