A sanctuary and a home

Under the evening sun, Gus, a big pig, relaxed in a muddy wallow. Dried mud coated his back, making his fur appear dark brown. His friends, also big pigs, Brenda, Peter and Karen, roamed the enclosure, awaiting their dinner.

When Kate Yundt, co-owner and operator of Kanda Farm Sanctuary, called the pigs’ names, Peter gently nudged the metal fence and let out a noise Yundt identified as ‘hot pants.’

“That noise is how pigs say, ‘I love you,’” she said. “Peter will give anyone and everyone hot pants.”

Kanda Farm Sanctuary is home to 72 pigs, four roosters, one chicken and seven cats.

The sanctuary is owned and operated by Kate and Andrew Yundt.

Their journey began in West Lafayette, when the couple decided to buy chickens. One of their chickens died suddenly after her liver hemorrhaged.

“I was looking for answers and I found this group called ‘vegans with chickens,’” Kate said. “And then it led me to compassionate care of chickens, not using them for their eggs and stuff. That led me to follow other sanctuaries and see that world.”

Kanda Farm Sanctuary officially began in 2018, she said.

“We bought this property when it was really bare,” she said. “Except for these two barns that used to be a trucking company, there wasn’t a single fence on the property or anything, and we had too many pigs.”

While buying the land, the Yundts were in the process of rescuing two big pigs.

Around the same time, they received a call about 17 pigs in need of help. They housed 12 and found homes for the other five. What they didn’t realize was one of the pigs was pregnant with 10 additional piglets, Kate said.

They ended up with a family of 22 pigs.

“We were like, ‘okay, because of this we’re just going to focus on pigs only, instead of doing a variety of farm animals,’” she said. “So they’re a little bit of our catalyst.”

The 12 original pigs are now referred to as “The Fam,” and the following 10 piglets are “The Pipsqueaks.”

Over time, Kanda rescued more pigs from a variety of situations. Gus was a “truck jumper,” meaning he jumped off a semi-truck on IN-74 at around three to four weeks old. He was later found wandering the highway and brought to Kanda.

Others, like Karen, were part of a hoarding case resulting in criminal neglect charges, Kate said.

“We get a lot of interest from owners who got a mini pig when they were six to eight weeks old, when they’re (small) and cute,” she said, motioning toward the mini pigs.

Fully grown mini pigs are about the size most people think big pigs are, she explained. Pistol Annie, a mini pig, is around 130 pounds.

“So when they get pushy…” she said.

Kate explained how pigs and dogs have some similarities. One of the mini pigs, Theo, flopped over for belly rubs when he saw her.

“They’re (both) very expressive,” she said. “They’re very loving animals. They’re often compared to toddlers, which I think is very true. But yeah, they get an attitude, but they’re also sweet and can be really cuddly.”

But the differences in pigs and dogs can make pigs difficult to manage, she said, which results in many mini pigs going homeless.

“(You can’t) equate their behavior to dog behavior. They don’t communicate in any sort of the same way,” Kate said.

Meet the residents

Kanda Farms Sanctuary is split into different fenced-off enclosures. Kate said when they receive a new pig, they will get to know its personality before deciding which area to integrate it into.

“It depends on the herd, like these guys,” she said, gesturing toward one enclosure. “Penelope is like the top hog. Since she started with her arthritis and stuff, Frank keeps trying to challenge that but he hasn’t won yet.”

Upon hearing his name, Frank trotted up to the fence.

“Frank here, we call him Frank the menace,” she joked. “Because he needs attention at all times, to the point that if we were to jump in there, he would tackle you just to be able to make sure he’s getting all of your attention.”

On the outer edge of the enclosure, Andrew Yundt opened a gate to a pasture of tall grass, and the herd took off running out to play.

“We have a John Deerge Gator, and Frank absolutely loves to chase the gator. It’s his entire world,” Kate said.

She approached another enclosure, where mulberries blossomed and fell off a tree branch. A big pig named Cora sat idly beside another, Kevin. Cora was bred as a show pig, but was born with one bulging eye and one leg twice the size it’s supposed to be, Yundt said.

Kevin and Cora typically don’t get along, but this past week they’ve been getting closer, Kate said. She snapped a photo with her phone before moving on.

Hidden in the garage, on a pile of hay, slept two disabled pigs, Naomi and Princess.

Pigs are notoriously good at hiding symptoms of illness for survival reasons, Kate said. Showing weakness could mean abandonment from the herd or becoming an easy target for predators.

Naomi has had multiple tumors and emergency surgery. Last year, she ruptured a disc in her spine and was paralyzed for two months, Yundt said. Princess is epileptic.

“She gets overstimulated; she has seizures,” Kate said. “She’s on medication.”

Open Barn Day

Kanda Farm Sanctuary will host an Open Barn Day June 1. Typically, the Yundts host two per year, Kate said.

Open Barn Day will last from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7502 W. State Road 26, Ambia. Attendees can meet the pigs, play games, try vegan food and learn about sponsoring animals at the sanctuary.

Tickets are $5 ahead of time at givebutter.com or $10 in person.

“I think a lot of people have never met a pig before, so it’s really cool,” Kate said. “They’re amazing animals. They’re not just food and they’re not dumb and have no feelings or whatever, they’re really sensitive and sweet and goofy.”