How to get from Nassau to Pig Island. Where do floating pigs come from in the Bahamas

12.03.2021

Not everyone will agree with this, but pigs are adorable enough creatures. Of course, they are not the cleanest animals, but they are very cute especially in childhood. For all pig lovers, it will be gratifying to hear that there is a small island dedicated specifically to pigs. It turns out there is an island of pigs in the Bahamas, where these cute animals were discovered in 2009 by photographer Eric Cheng and Captain Jim Abernathy.

The official name of the island is Big Major Cay, but most people know it as Pig Island. This island has a fresh water spring and the surrounding islands protect it from tropical storms. It is the perfect habitat for the pigs that laze around the clock like little beach bums. They have fun in the water, swim together and are happy to show their rowing skills to visitors. It is interesting how pigs originally appeared on the island. According to rumors, several sailors sailing past the island a few years ago decided to leave a few pigs on the island and turn this place into a reliable and secret source of food. Fortunately for the pigs, the sailors never returned. The animals did not have to worry about food, as sailing yachts often dump their surplus food into the sea. It seems that the pigs already know when the next delivery of their food will be, and as soon as they spot a yacht on the horizon, they are happy to fly into the sea. They swim as close to the ship as possible, hoping to get the tastiest bites of food.

Photographer Eric Cheng says that “I was in the south of the Bahamas photographing long-winged sharks” when the captain of his ship told him that he had heard that there were pigs in Big Major. They dropped everything and went to the island to look at the curiosity. To their surprise, the rumors turned out to be true. “When approaching a white sandy beach, it's easy to see pigs (pink and dark brown) lying on the sand,” says Cheng. “Because the local population brings them food, pigs run into the water and swim up to the boats to personally greet the people. Pigs lying on a tropical beach are already a strange sight, but when they take a running start into the water to greet the boats, the sight becomes simply incredible. " Cheng and his team have taken many pictures of pigs, and they have become quite popular in recent years. The team even took a dip with the pigs. “Nadine Umbscheiden, one of the photographers, became so good friends with the pigs that she even managed to swim with them,” says Cheng. “We named her the Pig Talker because she could make pigs swim to our cameras!” In addition to pigs, no one else lives on Big Major.

This is not the first time a habitat has been completely taken over by a particular species. You may have heard of Rabbit Island in Japan or the Brazilian island full of snakes.

And I still thought at one time, where on the Internet there are so many photos of pigs in the sea on snow-white sand? What kind of events are these? And it turns out like ...

On the island of Big Major Cay (Bahamas) people do not live, but this place was chosen by ... domestic pigs. Passengers of ships sailing near the island can often watch pink piglets and their already tanned parents bask in the sun on a sandy beach.

There are many versions of how these animals got to Big Major Cay. Some say the pigs were brought to the island by seafarers who planned to return to the island later and use the pigs as food. But the sailors did not return, and the pigs remained to live on the island, feeding on everything that was thrown out of passing ships. According to another assumption, the pigs survived the shipwreck and managed to swim to the shore of Big Major Cay. It is also believed that the pigs came from the nearby islands. And according to the modern version, pigs are just a way of attracting tourists to the island invented by businessmen.

Which of these versions is reliable is still not clear, but it is known for sure that the local residents of the neighboring islands fed these animals. So, for many years, these people sailed to Big Major Cay to feed the pigs. And after some time, just seeing the ship, the animals began to rush into the water and swim towards their breadwinners. The pigs that live on Big Major Cay today do the same for tourist ships.

Interestingly, the pigs from the "paradise" island inspired the writer Jennifer R. Nolan to write a book about them for children ("The Secret of Pig Island"). The book contains fictional funny stories of pigs from the Big Major Cay island and their photographs, and also talks about how unpredictable and amazing the nature of our planet can be, and how important it is to preserve it.

These cute animals were discovered in 2009 by photographer Eric Cheng and Captain Jim Abernathy.

Despite the fact that the pigs live here are wild, they are very friendly. They meet people, grunting joyfully, deftly swim up to the boats and beg various goodies from tourists. And they cannot refuse them, because piglets from Big Major Cay are very cute, and unlike domestic pigs, they are very clean, thanks to regular bathing in the sea. In addition, the pigs are accustomed to the fact that people come to their shore with noble intentions and not empty-handed: they are regularly fed by specially hired residents of the Bahamas, as well as sailing yachts and tourist boats - there have always been plenty of people who want to admire the local miracle of nature. Some piglets become so familiar with human society that they jump into the boat if it comes close to the shore, and with all their looks, they show that they want treats and that they scratch their tummy. True, the pigs are most willing to meet in the late afternoon, when it gets not so hot, and they all come out of the forest with the whole community to lie on the sand and swim in the sea.

Tourists not only willingly feed the pigs, but also swim with them in the water, take pictures, sunbathe. Children are especially happy with such a company. After all, where else can you freely frolic on clean sand with the same clean pink, brown and red piglets that can swim as well as a dog?

As soon as they see tourists, they immediately swim up to the yachts and boats and beg people for delicious food. And of course they do, how can tourists resist looking into those kind pig's eyes. Pigs have been living on these islands for more than one generation, piglets from childhood are accustomed to water and can swim without problems on a par with adults.

The Bahamas is a multitude of tropical paradise islands in the western Atlantic Ocean. Most of them have been taken over by tourists, but there is one very special island, occupied by pigs. It is also called the Island of Pigs.

Let's immediately outline an important detail. If you think Pigs Island is a place to see clueless and ignorant tourists or dirty beaches, then you are wrong. Isle of Pigs is the most common paradise island, where the main population is ... pigs. Yes, ordinary domesticated, but feral piglets live in this secluded place.

That is why the island is known all over the world as the island of pigs (originally Pig Island), although it is officially called Big Major Cay.

Where is the island of pigs

The island is located in the Exuma region, which consists of 360 islands. Nearby are the Steniel Cay islands in the southeast and Fole Cay in the northwest. The capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, lies 130 kilometers to the northwest.

Geographic coordinates 24.183436, -76.456483

Pigs on the island - waterfowl

General information about the island of pigs

The island is about 1.9 km long and 1.6 km wide. The surface area is slightly less than 1 km 2.
The island is covered with tropical forests. Here you can find sources of fresh water and even 3 large enough lakes. One of them (about 210 by 130 meters in size) is located in the central part of the island, and the other two lie side by side in the southern part. They are slightly smaller in size. There are beautiful sandy beaches on the coast of the island.

Despite conditions close to ideal, there are no people or hotels on the island. This is an almost uninhabited corner of the planet (of course, with the exception of piglets).

Theories about the takeover of the island by pigs

There is no reliable information about how pigs appeared in the Bahamas. But there are several assumptions.

Perhaps the sailors left the pigs here as food supplies. They planned to pick them up later, but they never showed up, and the pigs took root on the island.
According to the second version, the pigs survived the shipwreck, reached the island, survived and even increased the population.
There is also a pragmatic theory that pigs were simply brought here as an interesting and extraordinary sight. This version looks quite real, as tourists willingly go to the island of Pigs, where they can not only feed the pigs from their hands, but even swim with them.
Well, the most prosaic hypothesis says that the pigs were expelled from the neighboring island. The fact is that the pigsties on the island of Staniel Cay were sources of unpleasant odors, which both locals and tourists began to complain about. Therefore, at the end of the last century, it was necessary to send good-natured pigs into exile on the neighboring island of Big Major Cay.

I must say that the pigs on the island quickly adapted. Now there are about 20 piglets here who are absolutely not afraid of either people or boats. Moreover, the pigs are so used to the constant attention of tourists that they literally attack tourist boats, knowing that people always bring something tasty with them.

Food interactions between humans and animals are fairly common. For example, on Monkey Island in Hainan, macaques actively demand goodies from visitors, and for disobedience they can steal some shiny thing from you, from chains to phones.

Why pigs in the Bahamas learned to swim

Actually, pigs are indifferent to swimming, but the inhabitants of the island of pigs are very fond of water procedures. It has developed in piglets over several generations. The pigs on the island began to understand that the sound of motor boats foreshadows the appearance of people, which means that they will bring various pig delicacies. Over time, the pigs, trying to bring the moment of eating sweets closer, began to go deeper and deeper into the water, and so they learned to swim.

Now even the little pigs on the island can swim. Hearing the sound of the motors, the pigs set out on a sail to meet the tourists. Quite often, piglets practically climb into boats and beg for food from people.

Do not think that only pigs are able to get used to a person and eat practically from his hands. About 750 kilometers southwest of Pig Island in the Cayman Islands lies the City of Stingrays. Here, graceful and deadly stingrays meet people and, in their own way, beg for food.

The place where you can see pigs is called Pig Beach (originally Pig Beach). This small strip of sand, about 200 meters long, is located on the west coast of the island.

Nowadays you will hardly surprise anyone by swimming with dolphins. Many sophisticated travelers prefer to swim with pigs in the Bahamas. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Bahamas.

What can you think when faced with a flock of pigs floating on the sea? That you must be asleep! But we want to assure you that this is possible in the Bahamas in reality.

Absolutely everyone associates the Bahamas with the sun, luxurious white beaches and a bright turquoise sea. Vacationers here feel like they are in paradise.

A boat trip along the coast allows you to enjoy the beauty of the tiny islands. One has only to sail away from the shore, take a couple of strokes with the oars and freeze in contemplation ... But what is it? Piggies in the sea? And why are these creatures with piglets' patches suddenly swimming so purposefully towards the boat?

And all because they are pigs, and they are also hungry. Could this be in reality? Yes, as much as he can. Because only in the Bahamas there are pigs who feel even more comfortable in salt water than an ordinary pig, lying in a dirty and deep puddle. And these Bahamian pigs are delighted to accept food and treats from tourists.

Photos of pigs, which, like seals, lean on the edge of a boat, waiting for treats and, after receiving those, again set sail for free swimming, may seem like something fantastic. But they do exist!

You can verify this by visiting a small uninhabited piece of land of the Exuma archipelago, which is part of the Bahamas. On Big Major Cay, or Pig Island, you can sunbathe and swim with pigs.

A colorful company gathered on the island: white, red, pink, brown, spotted boars, pigs and piglets. Pigs of all stripes and sizes run briskly along the sandy beaches of the island and everyone, from small to large, swims excellently.

Pig Beach, located in the western part of the island, is currently home to about 40 pigs. They live for themselves and do not even suspect how well they were lucky in this life. Such luxury and such bliss are not like pigs, people will envy!

How these cute creatures ended up on the island, one can only guess. There are several versions of the appearance of pigs on Pig Island. Some believe that this happened as a result of a shipwreck: the ship carrying domestic animals crashed on the reefs, and the pigs swam to the shore and were able to survive here.

Others believe that the pirates brought the pigs to the island as a future supply of food, but they did not manage to return to their "cache" and the animals were left to their own devices. There is also a perception that the pigs at Big Major Cay are a diligently planned action by travel agencies, thus luring customers to the island.

One way or another, but trips to this Bahamian island are extremely popular: both ordinary tourists and cruise ship passengers and celebrities come here. Many travelers enjoy not only taking pictures, but also swimming next to the pigs living on Pig Beach.

Despite the fact that the pigs on the island live wild, they are very friendly. They greet the guests, grunting joyfully and begging for various goodies. And they cannot refuse them, because the Bahamian pigs are very cute, and, unlike their domestic relatives, they are real neat.

In addition, the pigs are accustomed to the fact that people come to their shore with good intentions and not empty-handed: they are regularly fed by specially hired residents of the Bahamas, as well as sailing yachts and tourist boats, who want to admire the charming inhabitants of the island more than enough.

4 comments

You will envy such a "pig" life. Very cute pigs, clean, probably not out of neatness, but from frequent swims in the water, only frightening teeth. I wonder what they eat in the absence of people and what are the tourists allowed to feed them? After all, by chance, unknowingly, human food can harm pigs.

Judging by their plump little faces - they have enough food with interest! :) There are service personnel on the island who feed them. Tourists have the opportunity to buy treats for pigs in the form of food scraps, boiled vegetables, herbs in the local bar.

I want to be such a pig!

Made me laugh :)

We all know that pigs cannot fly. But did you know they can swim? That's right, our pig friends do have some pretty impressive abilities. If you plan to visit the Bahamas anytime soon, you must see the island's most famous inhabitants - the floating pigs. The floating pigs of the Bahamas are well known among islanders and tourists alike, and for good reason. You will find them in the waters of the lovingly named Pig Beach, on the coast of one of the most beautiful regions of the Bahamas: Exumas.
How to find floating pigs? There is nothing more spectacular than the sight of pigs splashing in the sunlit azure waters of the ocean. These pigs are not shy. In fact, they are relatively easy to find. They inhabit the island of Big Major Cay, which is one of 365 Exuma Islands. However, due to its famous inhabitants, Major Cay is better known as the Island of the Pigs. The piglets are very friendly, and often swim up to the boats themselves with tourists who feed the animals with all sorts of goodies.
Where are Exumas located? Exumas are a chain of small islands that form part of the Bahamas. These miniature islands boast breathtaking white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and fabulous landscapes.
Can you swim with pigs? You've heard all about swimming with dolphins, but what about swimming with pigs? Piggy Beach is a place for such an unusual holiday, and it is definitely something that you will remember for a long time.
Even though the floating pigs are wild, they are incredibly friendly. They will allow you to swim right up to them. Swimming pigs are wonderful, intelligent creatures, and they are used to human companionship, although there are no permanent residents on their island. How did the pigs get there? There are several different theories about how the pigs got there.
Some people claim that they were on a wrecked ship and managed to gather food on the island and thrive in their new home.
Others think the pirates may have dropped the pigs there, planning to return later and turn them into bacon.
Another theory is that this is just a tourist attraction. But one thing is for sure, pigs are very happy with their home.