Why the surprise that pigs ate farmer?

2 October, 2012 by Stonehead 0 Comments

The British media is making much of news from the United States that pigs ate a farmer.

Authorities in Oregon are investigating how a farmer was eaten by his own pigs after his partially-consumed remains were discovered in an enclosure on his farm.

Terry Vance Garner, 69, never returned after he set out to feed his animals last Wednesday on his farm near the Oregon coast.

A family member found Mr Garner’s dentures and pieces of his body in the hog enclosure several hours later, but most of his remains had been consumed. Several of the pigs weighed 318 kilograms or more.

It’s possible Mr Garner had a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, or was knocked over by the animals, then killed and eaten, the Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said, adding that at least one pig had previously bitten Mr Garner.

via US farmer ‘eaten by his own pigs’ – Telegraph.

I wasn’t surprised. Despite what many people think, pigs are opportunist omnivores and will eat meat if its available.

To a pig, a dead, unconscious or incapacitated farmer is just meat. And if they’re hungry, they will eat him.

It’s no different to most humans seeing a dead pig as just meat. And eating it.

My only surprise was that the media found it so surprising. Of course, most journalists are townies who’ve never considered that one day the source of their bacon butties may well up and eat them.

It’s certainly something we’re well aware of.