Following reports of dozens of Bahamas' famous swimming pigs were in the Major Cay Beach, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has now barred tourists from feeding the pigs. Moreover, visitors will stay at a safe distance while taking photos of the animals.
Initially, tourists were blamed for the deaths of swimming pigs, but a recent autopsy shows that it wasn't liquors that killed them -- it was actually san that they have digested. The Daily Mail UK reported Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries V. Alfred Gray as saying: "The island hogs, found dead near 'Pig Beach' on Big Major Cay, had 'a good amount of sand in their stomach.'"
One possibility of ingestion of sand is that tourists throw food in the beach for the animals to eat, including the sand itself. Gray further stated that sand is indigestible; therefore, it would give gastrointestinal problems to the animals.
The Bahamas government is placing new restrictions between travelers and the remaining pigs. They raised a possible notion of putting a particular rope in an area where people can safely interact with the animal. Officials say that it's fine to swim with the pigs but feeding them would prove to be problematic.
The Bahamas Humane Society President Kim Aranha stated last week that there are "silly" sailors that goad the animals to drink alcohol and try to get them drunk. Though the idea of having the pigs getting drunk was believed last week, the notion will have to be junked after the release of autopsy results.
However, it lets people to be always reminded to limit the feeding of the pigs especially on the beach, where they will ingest the sand as well. Currently, there are 15 pigs left on the island -- the local veterinarians have checked their health and passed off as clean and healthy.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
