William Westhoven

@wwesthoven

MADISON – One-by-one, on the front lawn of St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, humans were locked in a 2-by-7-foot steel cage so narrow, at 14 inches deep, that they could not sit, bend, turn or twist.

Four minutes later, each of them had a new perspective on gestation crates used to by the U.S. pork industry to confine sows for up to four years before they are slaughtered into the food chain.

“Each minute you are in there represents one year in the life of a sow in a gestation crate,” Matt Dominguez informed each participant Saturday during the Great Crate Challenge, an event aimed at encouraging Gov. Chris Christie to sign into law a bill passed last month by the New Jersey legislature that would ban the practice in the Garden State. “If you to do this to a dog or cat, you would be prosecuted for animal cruelty. And yet, for a sow, somehow it’s different in the eyes of the law.”

“That’s what Senate Bill 998 will do, is prevent this from remaining legal,” said Dominguez, a public policy manager for the Humane Society of the United States. Dominguez has been in New Jersey for the last 40 days, lobbying Christie’s office in Trenton and raising awareness of the issue by staging the Great Crate Challenge in several municipalities.

“It’s hard to even breathe in this thing,” said Melissa Morgan, a member of the St. Hubert’s staff,during her four minutes in the cage. “I just imagine years like this. Your mind would just go lost.”

“I have nothing against bacon, but this is crazy,” said another participant, a man who did not give his name.

At least 20 people took the challenge during the two-hour event. Each concluded their confinement by videotaping a personal message to the governor.

“I treat my plants better than this,” said Barbara Zybrick of Kinnelon. “Gov. Christie, this is the Garden State. You have a chance to make it the Humane State. Sign the bill. That’s what we want. Thank you.”

Heather Cammisa, president and CEO of St. Hubert’s in Madison, was the first to enter the crate.

“It really moves you, knowing what these animals feel,” she said. “This is just abject cruelty.”

New Jersey is only 40th among the 50 states in pork production, and none of the state’s pork producers use crates. But New Jersey caught the attention of the Humane Society because Christie vetoed a similar bill last year and his frequent travels throughout the country — in advance of an anticipated presidential run — have taken him to Iowa, the country’s largest pork producer.

“We want to make sure gestation crates are not used here,” Dominguez said. “If you go back 25 years ago in North Carolina, there was not a single gestation crate. But now, there are 850,000 sows in gestation crates there. We want to remove the welcome mat in New Jersey.”

There was at least one visitor who wanted no part of the Great Crate Challenge — D’Arcy, a 7-year-old Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and beloved pet of Petra Delli Paoli of Millington.

D’Arcy, who has visited St. Hubert’s in the past and taken part in therapy programs there, kept his nose to the ground and happily munched on the lawn.

“He lives in the house,” Delli Paoli said. “D’Arcy is our pet, just like a dog. I don’t see any difference. We definitely should treat all animals with respect.”

“We’ve been active working on the issue,” said Cammisa, who observed that St. Hubert’s is in the heart of Christie’s home county and Republican base. “Our supporters throughout this area, which certainly can be described as Gov. Christie’s backyard, support this bill, and support the humane care of all animals. Animal welfare is important to everyone, whether they eat meat or not.”

Christie has until Dec. 1 to sign or veto the bill.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.