Farm
RESCUE
Saving Pigs
in the City
IN LESS THAN A YEAR,
Chicagoland Pig Rescue
saved nearly 100 pigs:
stray pigs, abandoned pigs and
pigs escaping slaughter. This
number doesn’t surprise April
Noga, who founded the group
in May 2020 to fill what she
viewed as a void in the state.
“I began to question why Illinois
didn’t have a pig-specific
rescue group like other states,”
she says. “There was a clear need
that wasn’t being met: gaps in
transport resources through Illinois
and no organized group
to provide cohesive resources.”
Noga had been saving pigs
for years when she decided to
start CPR. After she and her
husband, Tyler Tassone, adopted
their first pig, they started
volunteering at sanctuaries
and formed a microsanctuary
called Sweet Petunias Microsanctuary.
They also rescued
pigs independently, coordinating
with rescue groups
throughout the country.
“Stepping into this role was
something I did not do lightly,”
says Noga. “I recognize the
immense responsibility that
comes with rescue work. But
seeing a tremendous need, I
knew this was something I
needed to do.”
Noga says CPR encounters
a variety of rescue situations.
HOME SWEET HOME
Peaches, above, was surrendered
to a shelter because her family
said she had grown too big.
One of CPR’s rescuers fostered
Peaches until the group found her
a forever home at a sanctuary in
Georgia. Winston and Waddles,
left, were part of a large rescue
case that involved several pigs
who were not cared for properly.
The bonded pair is now safe and
settled at their new home.
There are hoarding cases because
owners don’t spay and
neuter their pigs; abuse and
neglect cases; pigs who jump
off transport trucks; and stray
pigs picked up by animal control
and taken to shelters not
equipped for pigs. There are
also scenarios where people
give away pigs because they’re
moving or overwhelmed when
the animal grows to full size.
“The list goes on and on
and on,” says Noga. “It is certainly
heartbreaking. What
we remind ourselves to keep
going is that every individual
matters. While we can’t
change the whole world, we
can change the world of the
pig who we are rescuing that
day. And that matters.”
Although CPR’s main objective
is to establish a foundation
for pig rescue in Illinois, Noga
says rescues often traverse
many states, especially in large
and emergency cases. One example
was in summer 2020
when the group led a special
QUICK INFO
Chicagoland Pig Rescue
provides a lifeline to pigs
in the Midwest through
rescue and education.
» Contact CPR by email:
chicagolandpigrescue@
gmail.com
» Follow CPR on IG:
@chicagolandpigrescue
PHOTOS COURTESY OF APRIL NOGA
Planted | 24
Group steps up to rescue animals,
provide resources for adopters
/gmail.com