The North Carolina Boys were a group of very rare survivors from the flooding of Hurricane Florence in 2018. When the Category 4 storm caused torrential rain and flooding, factory farmed pigs were locked in the barns to drown. These boys were swept out of their prisons by the flood waters and eleven of them were sent to live here in Tennessee. Factory farmed males are bred to grow very quickly and are typically slaughtered at 250-300 pounds. If they are allowed to live a more natural lifespan, they can grow into nearly 1000-pound pigs. They are always our largest and gentlest breed.
Pigs are prey animals, which means they are very good at hiding sickness. In Silas’ case, he had a urinary blockage, and he showed no signs of illness until it was too late. What we have learned over the years is that if male pigs show any sign of lethargy, we immediately start watching closely for a good stream of urine. Their anatomy makes them very prone to urinary obstruction, and the window to fix it is very small. Silas passed suddenly, which was very shocking, and the best we can do in cases like that is try and learn all we can to improve our processes of detection in the field.
Silas was a much beloved and honored member of the Feral Neighborhood, along with many of his brothers from the Hurricane Florence flooding.