George, an Iowa-grown pig, is the most unlikely of Instagram stars.

He was being trucked to a slaughterhouse on a cold night in January when he and two others escaped and were found loose near the Grand Avenue exit off Interstate 35 in West Des Moines.

Hailey Dixon, a board member of the volunteer-run, Des Moines-based animal rights and environmental education group VegLife, recognized the danger the pigs were in and acted quickly to prevent them from being struck by passing vehicles.

She put in a call to VegLife president Amy Luebbert, who she knew had contacts that could help. She also called for help from fellow activists Ace and Joy Wilde.

Their goal: Corral the animals and place them at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary, the upstart Shangri La for rescued farm animals that touts itself as Iowa’s only vegan farm animal sanctuary.

Without the Iowa County farm's existence, there may not have been any viable place to take the wayward pigs even if they were rescued, sanctuary leaders say.

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If they’re too injured to walk out onto the killing room floor, livestock are usually considered valueless and it’s not common for the companies that insure livestock to pay for the vetting required to evaluate their health after an injury, according to the Iowa Farm Sanctuary. The easiest and most common thing to do is to simply put them down.

George was injured and cold after the escape. After negotiating with livestock insurance agents at the scene, the activists took custody of him and had him treated at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine's large animal hospital.

The other two pigs, both severely injured, were put down on the scene at the advice of a veterinarian.

George's rescuers say it's common for piglets to squeeze out of livestock carriers — the Iowa Farm Sanctuary has rescued several — but it's fairly rare for a full-grown pig to escape.

Some pig

Shawn Camp, daily manager of the Iowa Farm Sanctuary's day-to-day maintenance, bears a striking similarity in her actions to Charlotte, the magic "Charlotte's Web" spider who weaves messages in her web to save Wilbur, a pig marked for slaughter.

Through the farm and its social channels, Camp has been able to build and cultivate a web of messaging that livestock are sentient and emotional animals undeserving of slaughter and share it with the farm's many like-minded followers — over 14,000 on Facebook and nearly 17,000 on Instagram.

Followers first met George the night he was rescued. The IFS streamed his rescue live on Instagram and Facebook, where the live video had nearly 5,000 views, 135 shares and, thanks to a button that prompts people to donate, had raised nearly $1,000 for their operation.

Through these channels, people are able to follow George’s journey, from his rescue to his recovery at the animal hospital to his new, gentle life on the farm. Images of George now appear on Instagram inlaid with quotes on the compassion for animals from Arthur Schopenhauer and promotions for Five Dollar Friday donation-raising campaigns.

George has become the newest star of a large digital marketing apparatus that both funds the existence of the IAF and evangelizes for the humanity of livestock animals while promoting veganism.

The operating cost of the farm comes out to about $120,000 year, funded entirely by donations, while Camp and her husband foot the cost of the land and their home. Though she doesn’t have a full breakdown of the various sources of the donations, it’s clear they come from across the nation and world.

George, miraculously saved from the slaughterhouse, will now live out his days as a social media influencer for the cause of animal compassion and veganism. He will likely be compensated in blueberries, which are reportedly his new favorite treat, and behind-the-ear scratches.

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Aaron Calvin can be contacted at acalvin@dmreg.com or on Twitter @aaronpcalvin.