Woman who gave water to dehydrated pigs in slaughter lorry faces 10 years in JAIL
AN ANIMAL welfare activist faces 10 years in prison after giving water to dehydrated pigs in a lorry travelling to a slaughterhouse.
A woman faces 10 years in jail for giving water to pigs in a slaughterhouse lorry
Anita Kranjc, 48, has been charged with "criminal mischief" after she stood in wait with other activists for passing pig trucks and poked water and fruit through slats to feed the pigs.
The animal rights campaigner could be sentenced to 10 years in Canadian jail or could also be fined up to £3,000.
Ms Kranjc's case is becoming known as a global cause célèbre for animal rights activists who are often arrested and jailed for their acts of protest.
She is the co-founder of animal rights group Toronto Pig Save, whose members routinely wait at traffic lights for slaughterhouse lorries carrying pigs to give animals water or food.
Under Canadian law, pigs are treated as property and can be transported for up to 36 hours without food, water or rest.
Ms Kranjc sprayed “an unknown liquid into the trailer where the hogs were situated" according to court documents.
Animal Rights Activist to Appear in Court on Charges of Giving Water to Thirsty Pigs
I won’t accept a fine, I would rather go to prison
She told local newspaper Inside Toronto: “It was really shocking when I got the summons. I couldn’t believe I was being charged for giving water to thirsty pigs. My defence is that I was being a good Samaritan.
“If I face a fine, I’d rather just do the time in jail.”
In a video filmed by a fellow activist on June 22 this year the lorry driver can be heard warning Ms Kranjc not to give the pigs any more water.
He said: “You do it again and I’ll slap it out of your hands."
Anita Kranjc says it is her duty to feed hungry animals
Ms Kranjc then said: "Go ahead, if you want an assault charge, go ahead."
The driver then gets back into the truck and drives away.
Eric Van Boekel, a pork farmer who owned the pigs being transported, filed a complaint with the police about the incident the next day.
Anita Kranjc co-founded animal rights group Toronto Pig Save
He said: “She has the right to protest and make her views known.
“What she does not have the right to do is put my livestock in jeopardy.
“It is happening at a traffic stop light and people are putting their arms in with the livestock.
“The problem is when the light turns green. It is not going to be a matter of if someone gets hurt, but when. I don’t want the responsibility of somebody getting maimed.”
The video shows pigs crammed in the lorry
Farmers have also argued that Ms Kranjc's good-will gesture increased the pigs' suffering as they clambered over reach over to drink from the water bottle.
But Ms Krajnc has received global support from animal activists and is ready to face prison for her beliefs.
She said: “We have a duty to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. I won’t accept a fine, I would rather go to prison.”
A judge will set a trial date for Ms Krajnc at a court in Milton, Ontario, Canada.
The lorry driver confronted Ms Kranjc about the incident