(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter were dedicated meat-eaters who bought a micro pig.

That was back in 2012.

A few months later the ‘pint-sized’ family pet had grown to 670lbs (304kg) – the size of a large, female polar bear.

But rather than sell her to a farmer, the couple from Ontario, Canada, accepted her just as she was.


Besotted, they also became vegans and opened a farm animal sanctuary.

Steve, Esther, Derek, and their niece (Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

Fooling everyone (Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

When they thought she was a micro pig (Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

‘The thought of participating in [eating animals] wasn’t working for us,’ says Steve in a recent video on the Esther the Wonder Pig Facebook page – which has over half a million likes.



‘Now we lead an Esther-approved lifestyle. She’s an eye opener, we’ve learned a lot from her.’

Steve spoke to Metro.co.uk about his and Derek’s lifestyle overhaul.

‘We got Esther from a friend in August 2012, and were vegan before Christmas,’ he says.

‘But we never even considered being vegetarian before, let alone vegan.

‘It wasn’t until our vet told us he thought Esther was actually a commercial sow, the type used for bacon, that we realised we couldn’t support that anymore.

‘We had learned so much about pigs themselves, seen these incredible personalities and amazing intelligence and to think of her being locked in a cage her whole life was heartbreaking to us.

‘That’s when we started looking for documentary films and learning more about the agriculture industry. What we saw was devastating and we couldn’t ignore it.

‘We always looked the other way when a truck went passed on the highway full of cows or pigs, but never thought anything if buying meat at the store. Esther could’ve been on one of those trucks, and that’s still a very upsetting thought for us.

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

‘We would never consider putting our dogs or cats through what we put farmed animals through on a daily basis.

‘Esther helped us level the playing field between farmed animals and friend animals. They’re only different because we spent our whole lives being taught they were different, and what we do to them is okay.

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‘Once we separate yourself from that, making the decision not to support the use of animal products became very, very easy.

‘We did it in steps, but we went from hardcore “meat and potatoes” -type people, to vegan, in a couple months – and we’ve never looked back.’

Steve and Derek lived in a town where having a full-size pet pig was illegal. The new-found attention from Facebook followers made them nervous, so they decided to move.

We weren’t planning on buying a farm, but knew there was a serious need for forever homes for farm animals, and decided we wanted to start our own sanctuary.’

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

So the couple approached their followers to tell them what they were planning on doing and they encouraged it, which inspired a crowdfunding campaign.



Steve continues: ‘We never could have purchased the property we did without it.’

The couple raised an incredible $440,000 in two months with contributions coming in from 46 countries around the world including the UK.

Steve and Derek used the money to start up Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary in Campbellville Ontario, about 45 minutes west of Toronto.

It’s home to over 40 animal residents including pigs, cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, a horse, a donkey… and a peacock.

Steve says: ‘It was a crazy time, and things haven’t slowed down one bit.’

The couple now run multiple other pages such as Esther’s Kitchen, for easy, Esther-approved recipes (ie vegan); Esther’s Army, an advocacy page sharing causes and assisting with the relocation of animals, and Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary has its own page too.

Esther the Wonder Pig also has pages on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

The couple have written a book which comes out May 31 (you can pre-order online).

Steve says: ‘It tells our whole story, right from the day we got Esther.

‘It discusses how she came to live with us, how she impacted our daily lives, some of the ups and downs of raising a pig, and some very emotional moments as we realize what her story was, what it meant to be a pig on a commercial farm, and ultimately our decision to adopt a vegan, or what we call an Esther-approved lifestyle.

‘It also features a bunch of unpublished photos, including baby photos, and a few of our favourite recipes.


‘It’s a fun book, but with a very serious undertone that we hope comes through to readers.

‘Esther changed our lives just by being herself, and that’s what we’re trying to replicate with our social media presence and the book. It’s amazing what can happen when somebody makes a connection with an animal they have completely disregarded their entire lives. It seems to impact people on a very deep level, there’s something magical about her smile.

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

‘We work very hard to promote kindness and compassion in a fun a lighthearted way.

‘While we are technically vegan animal activists, we take a very different approach than most other organisations. We make people laugh, help them smile on bad days, allow them to fall in love with a pig, and gently remind them what Esther’s life could’ve been had she not come to live with us.

‘We never force the issue, or tell someone they’re not doing enough if they tell us they’ve given up pork for Esther. We congratulate them and encourage them to check out Esther’s Kitchen. We try to nudge them in the right direction and it’s working incredibly well.

‘People respond beautifully to positive reinforcement and kindness. Being a bully didn’t work for us, so we take a different approach.

‘For us it’s all about showing everyone the side of Esther we see on a daily basis. It was her smile, and her sense of adventure and curiosity that changed our lives, and we are just trying to give other people the opportunity to have the same experience.’

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

Esther, now three-years-old, is the size of a polar bear. She’s toilet trained and lives in their house along with two dogs and a cat – eating more than £30 worth of vegan food a week.


Derek and Steve provide daily updates on Esther’s exploits and sell Esther-themed calendars, postcards and mugs.

Steve, who works in the property industry, said: ‘We lived in denial for a long time, friends would come over and say “she’s getting bigger” and Derek and I would say “no she’s not”.

‘But soon she was standing to steal things off the kitchen counters, the couch became smaller, and of course there was the weight gain.

‘We just adapted and loved her more. What else could we do? It wasn’t her fault and we would never give up a pet. She still – on occasion – climbs up onto our bed for a nap during the day.’

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Steve adds: ‘We’ve been vegan for more than two years now, and we’ve never felt better. We sleep better. I used to get bronchitis every winter but haven’t been sick since other than the odd minor sniffle. We feel better knowing we’re doing all that we can to improve our health, the animals welfare, and the environment.

‘We didn’t realise how badly the agriculture industry hurt the environment, but that’s a whole other conversation. Ultimately, be it for the animals, for your health, or for the environment, there’s no better thing you can do than adopt an Esther-approved lifestyle.

‘We also found the term vegan was very scary to many people, us included until we learned more about it. That’s why you’ll see us use the term Esther-approved instead of vegan.

‘People have a preconceived notion of what being vegan means. Very few non-vegans will start a conversation with you about veganism. However when you say “I live an Esther-approved lifestyle” it’s a conversation starter, and that’s critical.’

(Picture: Esther the Wonder Pig/Metro.co.uk)

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