In the Caribbean, you can dive with sharks, but you can also swim with pigs. For the latter, crowds of tourists flock to Sventa Island. The world learned about the wild pigs that live on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas in 2009, when an American photographer posted a photo of them online. The animals caught his attention because instead of swimming in the mud, they swam in the crystal-clear waters of the ocean. The pigs find food here. Initially, ships threw out scraps of food, attracting the animals. The previously anonymous Caribbean island was declared the home of the pigs, so crowds of tourists began visiting. People bring food here as bait.
Pigs are excellent swimmers by nature. Those individuals who are looking for food can swim even several hundred meters from the shore. The animals also like to cool off in the water. However, it is difficult to justify the claim that they enter the ocean for their own pleasure, which some people see in this habit. Pigs are very intelligent animals that behave in a certain way for a set purpose. Water in this case connects them with food. This is the only dining area on the island, where several wild cats and goats live. Therefore, when the herd hears the hum of an approaching boat, it immediately runs to the ocean.
Where do the swimming pigs in the Caribbean come from?
There are about 20 pigs living on Pig Island. They have taken up residence on a beach that is actually called Pig Beach today. Their presence in the Caribbean is associated with many stories that are closer to gossip than fact. According to one version, the animals were abandoned by sailors who were supposed to return some time later, kill and eat them. Others believe that the pigs were brought to the island by locals to increase tourist traffic. There are also rumors that the pigs survived from a sinking ship. You can hear the story that the animals have lived in the area for centuries and were imported by the Spanish or Portuguese. In search of food, it was necessary to cover some distances between the islands. In the diaries of the seventeenth century, sailors mention that wild pigs were seen on many Caribbean islands.
The pigs are kings of Sventa Island. Apart from a few cats and goats, they are the only inhabitants of the area. They don’t have to worry about food, as the area is visited by tourists who care about animals. In turn, from June to November, when the hurricane season lasts, the pigs are delivered to the sanctuary by a local water sports company. As you can see, the pigs have everything they need, and the tourists are delighted with them.
Uninhabited Pig Beach is located in a chain of small coral islands running north to south (a region called the Exumas). The two closest, Fowl Cay and Staniel Cay, are being developed as tourist resorts, and the other even has a small airport. Local travel agencies organize trips to Pig Beach from as far away as Nassau, which is about a two-hour drive away. The cost for a full day, including diving with sharks, is about $2 per person.
There are several major companies in the area that sail to the island, including Staniel Cay Boat Tours - $40/person or Exuma Cays Adventures - $200/person per day. You can also rent a boat from the locals. Swimming with pigs is currently the most popular activity among visitors to this part of the Bahamas. It would seem that pigs are fairly predictable animals, but the sight of them swimming in the azure waters of the Bahamas will amaze everyone.
