Thirty-three pigs are believed to have survived the Lahaina fires by hiding in a pond. With the help of multiple animal organizations and volunteers, most of the pigs have been safely relocated to other parts of Maui and will now be lovingly taken care of for the rest of their lives.
On Aug. 8, as a wildfire destroyed Lahaina, Jillian Vickers was working to protect about 25 pigs and 18 horses at Maui Farm Sanctuary’s Makawao location from the fire in Upcountry Maui.
“We had no (cell) service, so we did not know what was going on in Lahaina,” said Vickers, the founder of Maui Farm Sanctuary.
However, a few days after the start of the fire, she got a call from a relative of Junior and Laura Tevaga, who raised pigs on a 15-acre parcel in Launiupoko at the southern end of Lahaina. They couldn’t call themselves because West Maui was still without cell service.
“They lost their home, lost everything in the fire,” said Vickers.
After learning about the Tevaga’s pigs, she was now on a mission to find out if they were still alive and if she could help them.
However, Maui County officials weren’t allowing anyone into Lahaina because of concerns about potentially toxic hazards and the search for human remains.
Eventually, Vickers connected with the Maui Humane Society, who confirmed the pigs were alive and was able to bring them food and water.
“We got in the next day to see the pigs and it was absolutely heart-wrenching. They had probably … covered their bodies in the pond to avoid the fire,” said Vickers.
She said a tree that covers the pond also survived the fire, but everything else on the Tevaga’s farm had burned.
“The housing for the pigs … melted. There’s melted fiberglass. It’s just horrible,” said Vickers.
The pigs needed to be moved since the burned farm and pond were now filled with toxins.
First, Vickers spoke with Kristin Hartness, who runs the nonprofit Ziggy’s Refuge in North Carolina and has experience with emergency disaster rescues. As soon as Hartness learned about the plight of the Lahaina pigs, she jumped on a plane and flew to Maui to assist. Members of Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance on Hawaii Island also came to Maui to help. Along with other volunteers, a team of animal lovers was now ready to rescue the pigs from their toxic surroundings.
It took three days to get 30 of the pigs out. On the first day, the rescuers put the mom and baby pigs into trailers. After that experience, Vickers said they realized it would be easier to get the pigs into the trailers if they used panels to make chutes for the pigs to walk up into the trailers. On the third day, five trailers were used to remove the remaining pigs. At least three of them needed to ride alone.
“Herding pigs is a lot like herding cats, especially after the trauma that they endured,” said Syndi Texeira, a co-founder of Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance. “Our team was able to bring our extensive rescue experience … to the collaboration between Ziggy’s and Maui Pig Sanctuary to help safely and lovingly transport the pigs.”
There are still three more pigs that Vickers said she and the volunteers are hoping to relocate.
The Tevagas were raising the pigs in Lahaina for meat. But they told Maui Pig Sanctuary that if they rescued the pigs they would give them to the sanctuary to care for them.
“They are guaranteed a lifetime of sanctuary with food and vet care,” said Vickers.
Vickers said the Tevagas helped during the rescue operation and continue to participate in their care.
Many of the pigs are stressed and experiencing sore muscles, which a vet is now treating. The pigs will also be spayed and neutered.
Currently, Maui Pig Sanctuary doesn’t have the facilities to keep the animals, but they are building pens for them. In the meantime, the pigs are being housed by foster parents at three different spots: The North Shore Lookout, Hokunui Maui, and with a pig lover in Kahului. Vickers said some of the pigs may eventually be adopted too.
“These pigs survived and they’re going to thrive now,” she added. “They came out of this horrible disaster better off.”
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.