Drivers in Illinois were told to be careful of farm animals on the freeway after a crashed livestock trailer tipped over onto on its side, letting loose thousands of piglets.
The Illinois State Police District 12 Effingham posted a picture of the carnage onto Facebook following the crash on the Interstate-70 on the morning of March 22, about halfway between Indianapolis and St. Louis.
"I-70 travelers between Casey and Greenup use caution Due to a traffic crash, nearly 3000 piglets are loose near milepost 127 (2 miles west of Casey). Troopers are on scene assisting with corralling the livestock," the department said.
The cause of the crash is unknown, and no one is believed to have been injured. Social media users were also delighted by the image showing the animals in the mud and the thought of the officers chasing them back down.
"So we have cops chasing pigs......oh the irony," wrote Kara Chamoun.
"Totally thought I was reading an article from The Onion," added Kimberly Esker
"An oil spill raises fuel prices. A pig spill....well, there goes the price of bacon," wrote Christy Hess Hatfield.
However, some also speculated on the welfare on the animals who were being transported in the trailer.
"3000 Piglets crammed into one semi-trailer? Sounds abusive to me. From the size of the critters in the photo, I can't see how they could humanely fit that many," said Jim Hinkle.
"Why would you guys post a picture like this?" asked Chris Emken. "If it was a bus full of people you wouldn't post a picture of the carnage, or at least I would hope not. The livestock industry is attacked daily by animal rights folks, you poured fuel on the fire."
While others speculated how 3,000 piglets could fit into a trailer, Debbie Frutiger Galloway offered as an explanation, pointing out that piglets are small and the trailer that flipped over appeared to have three levels of storage for the young animals.
"City people are ignorant," she added. "Farmers take care of livestock better than people raise kids."
According to The Pig Site, severe overloading of livestock can cause increased stress and death for the animals. The Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching also recommends that on longer trips, pigs need to have enough room to lie down without being on top of each other.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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