Network for Animals is taking on the illegal practice of ‘Zorro’ pig-marking in the Philippines. Slaughterhouse workers slash the owner’s name into each live pig’s back with knives and machete; the pigs are not anesthetised and endure extreme pain.
The term Zorro came into colloquial use as a reference to the sword-wielding hero of the same name. The swashbuckling hero’s sword skills are a million miles from the barbarity taking place right now in the Philippines.
Zorro marking has been illegal since 1998, but rarely enforced until Network for Animals began targeting the crime in 2014. Initially, NFA approached slaughterhouses directly, then encouraged local government units to take part in our campaign.
The message was simple: Toxin free paint should be used instead of carving them up alive and we are winning. No knife markings have shown up in the 50 largest slaughterhouses of Mindanao, since January 2017…. but we still have much to do before we can say we have completely won.
