When Is Slamming a Terrified Piglet to the Ground Kid-friendly Entertainment?
In early 2025 MFOA featured pig scrambles in our newsletter and a plan to increase awareness of this cruel activity and work towards ending an event that directly teaches our children the wrong behavior toward animals.
MFOA has hoped to begin a campaign to ban pig scrambles that are at 24 of the 25 fairs in Maine, but we were between Volunteer & Events Coordinators so that effort was stalled, but Sally Slovenski, our new coordinator, is most anxious to re-energize this effort.
We are planning to “table” at some of the fairs this summer to begin to get the word out and to observe the scrambles for information and violations. This fall and winter we will be assembling lists to contact fair directors/adminstrators about ending pig scrambles. We need your help, whether you are a regular MFOA volunteer or a supporter. Please sign up today to join us in this campaign by emailing Sally at info@mfoa.net
If you need to know more why this activity has to stop, please read the following from our 2025 newsletter.
Maine’s 25 fairs are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to celebrate Maine’s agricultural heritage and traditions. Unfortunately, there is one activity that is an outdated form of entertainment that fairs should consider discontinuing - pig scrambles.
Modern science shows pigs share human characteristics like creativity, self awareness, the ability to perceive the passage of time, fierce devotion to family, the ability to trick social companions, feelings of joy and disappointment, and pain. Scientists compare the intelligence of pigs to that of dogs or young children. Now envision what a pig scramble is for that animal.
Piglets (generally 8–12 weeks old) are terrified on many levels between being taken from their mothers, then forced into a show ring with dozens of screaming children chasing them, brutally tackled, and pulled at, and ultimately stuffed into bags . They are prey animals, so it is their nature to be frightened by someone larger, who represents a predatory threat. You have 8-12 year old children tackling, teaming up and pulling at the limbs of 16-22 pound terrified infant animals.
Piglets may sustain serious injuries during the chase, such as dislocated shoulders/hips/knees/elbows, serious internal injuries, crushed organs, broken bones, and other serious pain and harm. Yet animal cruelty is never charged.
These scrambles are violent events disguised as a fun fair game for children. The kids are not to blame, but when we normalize violence and cruelty towards animals for our children, we teach them that it’s acceptable to hurt those who are vulnerable. When we condone events like pig scrambles, we instill lessons that permeate children’s morality and show them that this behavior is acceptable.
