Protester faces prison term for giving water to a pig

Anita Krajnc is ready to face jail for her beliefs. Photo / iStock

The sight of pigs packed into a truck on a sweltering day was too much for Anita Krajnc who felt the animals should at least have some water on their journey to the slaughterhouse.

What was meant as a humanitarian gesture has now left Krajnc facing the threat of up to 10 years in a Canadian jail or a potential fine of about C$5000 ($5730).

Today, the latest chapter in what is becoming a global cause celebre for animal rights activists will be played out at a court in Milton, Ontario, when a judge will set a trial date for Krajnc, who has been charged with "criminal mischief". Under Canadian law, pigs are treated as property and can be transported for up to 36 hours without food, water or rest.

That is not good enough for Krajnc, 48, who earns her living as a consultant on a number of animal welfare projects and runs Toronto Pig Save.

The group stands by the roadside in wait for passing pig trucks, and then pokes water and fruit through the slats in the trailer.

However, there was a confrontation on June 22 when a driver working for Van Boekel Hog Farms was carrying a pig trailer, into which Krajnc and her supporters poked water bottles. The truck driver demanded she stop watering the pigs and the following day Krajnc was told by police that there had been a complaint against her.

According to court documents, Krajnc sprayed "an unknown liquid into the trailer".

Eric van Boekel, who made the complaint, said: "She has the right to protest and make her views known. What she does not have the right to do is put my livestock in jeopardy.

"It is happening at a traffic stop light and people are putting their arms in with the livestock."

Farmers also argue that Krajnc's well-meaning gesture increased the pigs' suffering as they clambered over each other to try to snatch a gulp of water from the bottle.

But Krajnc has global support. Her Toronto Pig Save has spawned similar groups across the world, including one as far afield as Melbourne.

Krajnc is ready to face jail for her beliefs, saying: "We have a duty to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty."