The Manchas Saga

Sometime in February, I got the idea to adopt a pet and take care of it for a while. The opportunity was presented to me to take care of a baby pig, or "chanchito"

Everyone thought I was crazy. And it was an impulsive decision. I named the little chanchita, it was a girl, Manchas. I bought her for 150 bolivianos which is about 20 dollars.

 

There she is. The lil chanchita. I named her Manchas because she was brown with black "manchas" or spots. Pretty creative right? .....

 

First few days I kept her upstairs with me. BAD IDEA. I had no idea what a little pig was capable of and learned what a "pig-sty" really is. The little devil stopped at nothing to make a mess of everything and anything. She smelled. She ate like a pig. And kept escaping !! Even though I kept tying her up, my knot skills weren't effect enough and she would make a run for it. One night I had to chase her through the farm across the street at 11:30 pm. 

 

Eventually she got better when I gave her more and more tomatoes and peaches and leftovers, her trust in me grew. Sometime I would keep her outside to roam about and eat grass and dirt and wallow and whatever chanchos do for fun.

 

 

Then the sad day came. I was forced to make a sign. "Se Vende" .. pig for sale. I ran out of money and the closest ATM machine to take more out was far away in the city of Sucre. So I decided to sell the little rascal. Surprisingly I left and came back in an hour and someone wanted to by it for the same price I payed originally. Of course I used to some advertising skills and made sure to include it was "fat". Gets em every time...

 

 I asked the lady who bought Manchas what would she do with her. I knew the answer, I just wanted to hear it come straight from the horse's mouth. "We are gonna raise it till it becomes big and fat, and then we will have chicharon!" NOOOOOOOO I thought to myself. But the unfortunate truth is that every chancho has the same fate. Que triste....

 

That is the story of my pet pig Manchas, who I raised for a grand total of two weeks. Hope you enjoyed.