Rock ‘n Roll Couple Rescue Piglet

Lanore Hahn, a graphic artist, and Derek Pritzl, a musician, spend a lot of time on the road traveling from gig to gig. They were heading back home to Wisconsin, when in Mitchell, SD, they spotted a piglet wandering all alone.

Lanore with a happy piglet named Kim.

Lanore and Derek guessed that the piglet must have fallen off a transport truck. They stopped and Lanore picked up the six-week old piglet, named Kim Gordon in honor of the legendary Sonic Youth vocalist and bass player.

A Love for All Animals–Especially Pigs
Lanore and Derek love animals. They are especially fond of pigs. The signature image for Derek Pritzl’s band, which Lanore designed, is a pig. It appears on his CDs, posters, and shirts.

Safe inside their van, the piglet slept for 10 hours, while Lanore and Derek attempted to locate the origins of the exhausted animal. They spoke with people from three different farms farther down the highway, all of whom informed them that there were no pig facilities in the area and they didn’t know where the piglet could have come from. Perplexed even further at this point, Lanore phoned the local animal control authority which sent an officer to speak with her.

Given the condition of the piglet, who had severe sunburn over many of the exposed parts of her body and painful road rash on her belly, chin, and back, the animal control officer was the first to surmise that she had fallen off the back of a transport truck. The officer informed Lanore if she handed the baby pig over to authorities they would most likely shoot the animal. At that moment, Lanore knew she had no other choice but to bring the piglet back with her to Wisconsin.

On the Road to Recovery
Back at home, Lanore did everything she could for her new friend–gradually introducing her to more solid foods, treating her wounds with antiseptic lotion daily, and giving her some much-needed T.L.C. She eventually found a home for her piglet at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glenn, NY.

“Unlike the factory farming industry which treated this sweet piglet with callous disregard, our sanctuary staff, volunteers, and visitors value her already for the courageous girl that she is,” says Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary National Shelter Director. “Her future looks bright. She is well on her way to recovery and will become an ambassador for other factory farm pigs who suffer every day in hot, overcrowded transport trucks on their way to finishing facilities and slaughterhouses across the country. Her life on the road is over, but here, she will always be a rock star.”

About Derek Pritzl
I wasn’t familiar with Derek’s music until now. He has a wonderful voice, and I want to share a music video with you.