Homes needed for 500 pigs rescued from Kentucky farm

PENDLETON COUNTY, KY -- Animal rescue groups are trying to find homes for 500 pigs found on a Kentucky farm before the state euthanizes them.

Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary in South Carolina is helping find homes for these pigs. They said that the woman who leases the property took in 15 pigs a few years ago, which eventually resulted in a number she couldn't handle.

"It multiplies, multiplies, multiplies.. so when you have ten pigs who give birth then they each have six to 10 pigs who now could possibly give birth," said Joshua Carpenter Costner, director of the Cotton Branch Animal Sanctuary.

Costner said that it wasn't until people living nearby saw these pigs roaming free that authorities were notified.

When he got there, he found many pigs malnourished and several of them pregnant.

"If they're not properly vetted, if they're not spayed or neutered, it just continues ballooning and ballooning and ballooning until it's out of control and what we've found on multiple cases like this that we've worked is it ends up with animals dying of starvation it ends up with you know horrible illnesses," Costner said.

The organization has about six weeks to find a home for these animals or else they said the state will euthanize them.

It's not clear if the woman who owns the pigs faces any charges.