Glitter

Sponsored by
Connie Loyd

Glitter joined the IFS family in spring 2022 after she was retired from a biomedical research facility. While her caregivers treated her with love and affection, life inside a lab is no life for a pig. Recent statistics show that 50,777 pigs were used in U.S. research protocols in 2019. Sadly, despite being the fifth most intelligent animal in the world, pigs are utilized in a wide range of research studies, including surgical studies, toxicology and pharmacology studies, dermatological studies on wound healing, transplantation studies, and more.

From the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS):

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity, the popularity of pigs used in research is due, in part, to the idea that “most people lack the emotional attachment to swine” and as they are “devalued by society, their use as tools of science is generally more acceptable by the public.” This belief is held, in part, because the pig is viewed as a food animal...The number of pigs used in research may increase as they are viewed as an alternative to other non-rodent animals, including dogs, which the public identifies as companion animals, and nonhuman primates, who may be given greater consideration because they are more closely related to humans.

Sadly, many pigs used in research either die during the experiments they are used in or are euthanized once they have fulfilled their designated research purpose. We’re so thankful that Glitter was granted retirement, and with it, the opportunity to find sanctuary. Glitter was around nine months old when she arrived at IFS, and watching her discover her freedom and explore her natural instincts for the first time was such a joy—a happy ending made possible by her compassionate caregivers at the lab who wanted the best for her. With her gentle, affectionate, and social personality, Glitter is the most incredible ambassador for pigs used in research. It’s impossible not to fall in love with her.