Melrose, Fla. – There’s not much around Rooterville Animal Sanctuary. It’s about an hour away from downtown Jacksonville in Melrose, Florida. But when you get here, you’re surrounded by the 3 Ps: Peace, passion -- and pigs.
More than 70 pigs roam pretty freely around the sanctuary. One pig in particular inspired Elaine West to create the haven. She met her at a local humane society.
“I went in the back. And sure enough, they had a little potbellied pig. And she rolled over soon as I started talking to her for a belly rub,” said West.
West said she took that pig home that day.
“We got her spayed, got her a new home, and then it all started from there,” said West.
West realized people desert pigs more often than you might think.
“Most people love them when they’re teeny little babies,” said West.
But they certainly don’t stay that way.
“There’s no such thing as a 40-pound pig. Unless you starve them,” West said.
A fully grown pig can grow anywhere from 300 to 700 pounds. That takes space and a lot of food. In fact, West spends $100 a day just on feed.
West has other animals on the farm -- goats, cows, peacocks, turkeys, dogs, cats, and even two mini horses. Almost all have been rescued from abuse, abandonment and neglect. West, a vegetarian, is also very clear about her disdain for factory farming.
“I thought, I mean, how could anybody be so cruel to keep animals their whole lives in tiny little crates where they can’t move,” West said.
So she saves the ones she can.
What makes this space unique is that the sanctuary is open to the public.
West makes her money to keep the sanctuary going by offering cow cuddling sessions, or people can sponsor an animal, pay for feed, shop in the gift shop, or come and stay the night in gorgeous covered wagons.
They are available for an overnight adventure and inside is a microwave, mini-fridge, a king-sized bed, bathroom and central heat and air. West has created an environment both people and pigs can enjoy.
“I could do this, I could have animals and I could, you know, save myself a lot of money by not sharing them with people. But it’s such a joy really to share them with people,” West said.
Rooterville Animal Sanctuary is a gift that’s truly Positively JAX.