MADISON COUNTY, Fla. -- A campsite park in Madison County is getting a lot of criticism for an activity they say is quite common.
Over the weekend, the Yogi Bear Jellystone Park celebrated the Fourth of july. Aside from fireworks and music... they also had a mud day... which included a pig chase and scramble.
Photos on their Facebook page show participants grabbing the pigs by the legs, trying to get a hold of them.
On those same photos, more than one thousand people have commented, with many saying the scramble is animal cruelty.
The woman who alerted FOX 4 to the photos said:
Teaching kids how to be cruel to animals in Madison, FL. But it's all about having fun right? This is disturbing and needs to stop!
The park put out a statement on the controversy, writing:
We had a great turn out this week and weekend. Live band, fireworks, games, activities, the traditional mud day. Yes, there was a pig chase, which is a common activity in the south and in rodeo activities. All our [guests] ask for this activity! No pigs were injured! It is not inhumane. Doing a pig scramble is no different than going to a rodeo where cows are chased and roped and people ride horses. No one did anything like that.
One person wrote on the park's Facebook page, refuting some of their claims.
This isn't a southern thing, it's a trashy thing. As a pig owner, it's fairly obvious that the pigs are terrified. Please own up to your poor judgement and have events the teach creativity not cruelty [because] this event is pathetic.
Not all of the comments are negative however, with some in support of the park, and the pig scramble.
One person wrote:
Such [an] amazing time! Thank you for not only putting on a good event but taking care of the pigs by changing them out every few minutes and making sure they had food, water and shade! Can't wait for next year!
