Maryland- Stan “Stosh” Dabkowski, the owner of Spring Meadow Farms in Upperco, said he still planned to have a pig mud wrestling event at his farm Saturday despite warnings from the Baltimore County animal control office that it believes the event violates the county’s code.
The code prohibits causing or instigating combat between animals or between animals and humans. The Health Department believes the pig wrestling event violates that section of the code, said department spokeswoman Monique Lyle.
The department will have animal control officers at the event Saturday to monitor the situation, Lyle said.
Those officers could issue Dabkowski citations for any violations they see, she said.
Dabkowski said animal control has told him if it decides a violation has occurred, he faces a fine of up to $100 per pig. He said 22 pigs will be involved in the event.
“They’re doing their jobs, and I understand it,” he said.
He said the event doesn’t violate the prohibition on combat between animals and humans because no hitting, kicking or similar actions would occur.
According to a posting on Spring Meadow Farms’ Web site, teams of four people will have 90 seconds to capture a pig and put it in a barrel. The team with the fastest time could win a cash prize.
Dabkowski said he’s never seen a pig wrestling event live, but has watched videos of several before deciding to host one.
While he said he wouldn’t say the pigs weren’t frightened, he wouldn’t consider the activity abusive or cruel.
He has received two phone calls and several anonymous letters from people who said they’re customers of the farm and were angry about the event, Dabkowski said.
He said he is prepared for the possibility of protests Saturday.
Pig wrestling has drawn criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights advocacy group.
PETA has received thousands of complaints about pig wrestling, said spokeswoman Desiree Acholla. The organization has been in contact with animal control officers in Maryland about Saturday’s event, she said.
Fairs in Tennessee and West Virginia this summer canceled pig wresting events after PETA and community members expressed concern, Acholla said.
While the practice isn’t necessarily widespread, it’s not uncommon, she said. Pig wrestling is explicitly banned in Minnesota and Rhode Island, Acholla said.
The organization has testimony from experts saying pig wrestling can cause serious injury to pigs, she said.
It’s not uncommon for pigs’ legs to be broken while trying to escape the people chasing them, Acholla said.
“People just jump on top of this poor animal,” she said.
Videos she’s seen show pigs in pure panic trying to escape, she said.
Acholla said that if pig wrestling events featured dogs or cats, there’s no question people would be angrier about it than they are when pigs are involved. But pigs have the same capacity for suffering and fear, she said.