Reflection: Interspecies Relationships
Lil Orphan Hammies Trip
By Stephanie Vasquez (05/10/09 15:51:03)
Related animal: Pig
(Written on April 11th)
Our first field trip was on Tuesday; I had no idea what to expect. I noticed that I was very timid in approaching the pigs at first. I didn’t grow up around animals, not even a dog or cat. I became more comfortable after realizing that these poor, delicate creatures meant no harm. Their grunts may have sounded “angry,” but who is to say that a loud, abrupt sound means “anger” to the pigs? In fact, who is to say these pigs know “anger” the way we know it? Maybe they were exercising their vocal cords. They aren’t humans… So anyway, I walked around and found a lone pig. I petted the pig, and when my hand got closer to its belly, as if by instinctive reaction, it laid down and let me rub his belly. I rubbed the pigs belly for about 10 minutes before realizing that it had fallen asleep. I soon left this pig and watched the owner of the farm feed all the pigs. Although an arduous task, it seemed like she enjoyed what she did every day. She really cared for these pigs. Suddenly, I felt something nudge the back of my calf. I turned around, and staring up at me was a small white pig. I bent down to pet it and then moved aside. I figured that the only reason it had nudged me was because I was standing in its way. Instead of walking past me, it just stared up at me. I moved over to another part of the farm, and this pig started following me. I continued to pet her, but it wasn’t long before I realized our trip was just about over. Perhaps some day I will go back if I can think of a project to do with these pigs.
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By Stephanie Vasquez (05/10/09 15:51:03)
Related animal: Pig
(Written on April 11th)
Our first field trip was on Tuesday; I had no idea what to expect. I noticed that I was very timid in approaching the pigs at first. I didn’t grow up around animals, not even a dog or cat. I became more comfortable after realizing that these poor, delicate creatures meant no harm. Their grunts may have sounded “angry,” but who is to say that a loud, abrupt sound means “anger” to the pigs? In fact, who is to say these pigs know “anger” the way we know it? Maybe they were exercising their vocal cords. They aren’t humans… So anyway, I walked around and found a lone pig. I petted the pig, and when my hand got closer to its belly, as if by instinctive reaction, it laid down and let me rub his belly. I rubbed the pigs belly for about 10 minutes before realizing that it had fallen asleep. I soon left this pig and watched the owner of the farm feed all the pigs. Although an arduous task, it seemed like she enjoyed what she did every day. She really cared for these pigs. Suddenly, I felt something nudge the back of my calf. I turned around, and staring up at me was a small white pig. I bent down to pet it and then moved aside. I figured that the only reason it had nudged me was because I was standing in its way. Instead of walking past me, it just stared up at me. I moved over to another part of the farm, and this pig started following me. I continued to pet her, but it wasn’t long before I realized our trip was just about over. Perhaps some day I will go back if I can think of a project to do with these pigs.
The Lone Pig | 
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Sleeping after a good belly rub. | 
The white pig that followed me at the end of our trip. |