Judge dismisses case of woman who gave water to pigs headed to slaughter

Canada judge says Toronto activist Anita Krajnc did not interfere
‘with the lawful use’ of property in case that rallied animal rights
activists

Ashifa Kassam in Toronto
Thursday 4 May 2017 17.41 BST

A judge in Canada has dismissed a case against a Toronto activist who gave water to pigs heading to the slaughter on a hot day, bringing an end to a two-year case that had become a rallying point for animal rights campaigners around the world.

Anita Krajnc, 49, initially faced up to 10 years in prison after she dribbled water through the metal slats of a tractor-trailer carrying the pigs in 2015. She continued to do so even after the driver ordered her to stop, leading the owner of the pigs to file police complaint.

Krajnc – the founder of a group called Toronto Pig Save, whose mission is to “bear witness of suffering of animals in transport and at slaughterhouses” – pleaded not guilty to a charge of mischief, but asserted she had done nothing wrong in helping animals she believed were suffering.

The crown countered that the pigs were the private property of the farmer and raised the possibility that Krajnc could have given the pigs something other than water.

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