Viola and The Empress were the first pigs to come to Darrowby, and they came from a commercial pig farm. While The Empress came to us because she didn't provide her farmer with offspring to sell, Viola came to us as an example of cognitive dissonance. 

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When Viola was born, her mother stepped on her, creating a lifelong injury to her hind leg and hip. Her farmers nursed her through infancy, bottle feeding her and inevitably forming a bond with her. When her siblings were old enough to sell to people who would slaughter them when they turned ten months old, Viola remained on the farm, considered a pet because she'd been lucky enough to suffer a permanent injury. Viola does have a resilient and spicy nature, and she has a true love of life, but she was no more special than her siblings, all of whom were equally as capable of joy, of pain, of fear, and of love, as Viola is.

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We named her Viola after the character in Twelfth Night who finds herself in a terrible situation but uses her ingenuity to protect herself and ultimately have a typical, Shakespearean, happy ending. Our Viola is tough, extremely independent (no tummy rubs unless they're on her schedule, thanks), and brave. We are so glad her life was spared, and we wish that more people could make the connection between a tiny injured piglet in need of intensive care, and all the pigs sent to slaughter each day in this country.