A local pig who became an international celebrity has passed away.
Esther the Wonder Pig lived with Steve Jenkins and his partner Derek Walter in Campbellville, Ontario (part of Milton). They got Esther back in 2012 when Jenkins’ friend contacted him about getting a micro-pig. Esther grew, and became a not-so-micro pig!
In 2014, Jenkins and Walter expanded their animal life and opened the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary. Their goal is to rescue abused, neglected, and abandoned farmed animals.
Their story blew up online, even leading to a children’s books, a possible movie, and a visit in 2019 from Greta Thunberg!
Esther was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. They also found lumps and even stomach ulcers. The work done to raise money for Esther’s treatment was believed to have saved her life for six to eight years.
It was announced on Instagram this week that Esther had passed away.
The message reads:
“There’s no easy way to say this, but the day we all wished would never come has arrived. Esther has passed away. She was calm and peaceful, and fell asleep with her dad Steve by her side.
“While we understand many of you will have questions, and we will have the answers for you , but we are going to take a little break to process the situation.
“Even though Esther is no longer physically with us, her memory and legacy will live forever. Esther is immortal, and we will continue to show the world that all animals deserve to be loved just like she was.
“Sending love and happy thoughts to each and every one of you. We know you all loved her just as much as we did, and we thank you for that.
“Xoxoxox.”
Rest in peace to Esther, and we send our condolences to Jenkins and his partner, Derek.
You can learn more about the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary here.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
