Amelia and Rosa are potbelly pigs that are about 4 years old and were saved from Ashley DiFelice's neglect and abuse at the former Twist of Fate "sanctuary". The above photo was shortly after their rescue, and though you can't tell because of their condition at the time Amelia has spots all over her body, and Rosa is pink with spots on her face. 

I have written about their siblings before - Jasper and Eloise, Laurel and Hardy, and George and Garth*. All of these pigs plus Amelia and Rosa didn't have names while they were at TOF, despite the fact that they were born there. Ashley had rescued two pregnant pigs from a hoarding case in May of 2020 and named them OJ and Pearlie Mae. OJ gave birth at Twist of Fate on July 20, 2020 and had 7 babies, and Pearlie Mae gave birth on August 17, 2020, also to 7 babies. Amelia and Rosa are two of those 14 babies, though it's unknown if they are from the same litter and who either of their mothers are. In July 2022 after Ashley's months of deliberate cruelty was discovered, any surviving animals were sent to live at sanctuaries, including OJ and Pearlie Mae. 

The "field" (if you could even call it that) where these animals had been dumped by Ashley was nothing but dirt and sticks - the animals living there had literally eaten every single bit of vegetation available, and then after that had to eat the dead bodies of other animals in that field that they once knew in order to continue surviving. Bones and other remains littered the ground, and no one had any fresh water to drink either. I have mentioned the lack of water on pretty much every previous story, but just some details: there were water troughs and basins all over the property, but they hadn't been filled or cleaned in months and were all full of algae, dirt, and grime. The animals drank rainwater from these but also probably contracted parasites and other things from the dirty water as well. Based on the behaviors of all of the pigs, especially around the new people who had arrived to rescue them, none of them had ever been handled by humans or even had any attention paid to them in the slightest. There were numerous pigs, and some of the boys and girls had been neutered or spayed, but most weren't. 

Along with all of the other potbellies in their barren field, Amelia and Rosa were in bad shape. They were malnourished and small for their age as a result. For months they suffered from Coccidia, a bacterial disease that lives in the intestinal tract, effects digestion and is actually rare in pigs. Symptoms include diarrhea, stunted growth, and the development of a rough hair coat. It's likely that Rosa and Amelia had this for a while at TOF but since they were purposely left to die of starvation, Ashley didn't care about any of the animals' medical needs either and so they went untreated along with everyone else that was suffering from either a previous condition or one that they developed as a result of her actions and/or inactions. The two girls also suffered from mange and parasites and had to spend a whopping 4 months in quarantine as a result. As long as nothing is wrong with an animal and they don't have anything that's contagious, a typical duration for quarantine is a few weeks to around 30 days.  They must have been lonely, confused, scared, and bored, but happily they had each other. 

Amelia and Rosa were taken in by Kristin at Blackbird Animal Refuge (@blackbird_animal_refuge) in Woodstown, New Jersey and named after two strong women - Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks. They were immediately seen by vets and treated for their ailments. Their initial rescue photos and videos are heart-wrenching. Typically every pig you see has a nice, full, round belly - these babies were so thin and had sunken stomachs and protruding hips, something that I don't believe I had ever seen on a pig before. Both were put on proper diets to help them gain weight, but Amelia struggled to put anything on for quite some time. Rosa started accepting a little bit of affection about a month and a half after her rescue, but it took over a year for Amelia as she would scream and run away when approached. I again want to emphasize the emotional and psychological damage that Ashley DiFelice purposely inflicted on all of the animals under her "care" along with the physical pain and suffering, all while she flippantly went on vacations and outings with her boyfriend. 

Rosa and Amelia were strong enough and healthy enough to be spayed in February 2023, seven months after their arrival to Blackbird. These days they love to hang out with their good buddy Sebastian the pig. Sebastian (along with a pig named Winston who passed away) were rescued from the same hoarding case as Amelia and Rosa's mothers, OJ and Pearlie Mae. Rosa and Amelia have clean, fresh water all the time, delicious and healthy food and straw to keep warm. Of course they also love wallowing in their mud baths to keep cool and protect their skin, plus it's just fun!  

To see how different Amelia and Rosa look now and to see them thriving, please give Blackbird Animal Rescue a follow on Instagram! If you'd like to donate towards the care of these girls or anyone else at Blackbird (they also took in sheep Trudi and Ethan* from the Twist of Fate case!) you can send donations through their website here, Venmo (@kristin_BAR), or PayPal (@blackbirdrefuge). To make a monthly donation towards their care, you can join their Patreon for any amount (every little bit helps!) or sponsor one of the animals. They also have an Amazon Wishlist and a Chewy Wishlist! They're also currently hosting a fundraiser on Instagram to raise money for hay and bedding for the residents because everyone should have soft, warm, clean beds to sleep in! Please visit their Instagram page to donate, every little bit helps. 

Thank you to Kristin and everyone at Blackbird for taking in these girls and giving them so much love. We're so happy that they have you and each other. 

Also, Amelia and Rosa both need sponsors!! Sponsorship helps with the daily and monthly care of the animals, including food, straw, dental care, meds, and more. For details, please send Kristin a message through Instagram or use the contact form on Blackbird's website. Thank you!!

Thanks to all of you for reading too! 

*You can also read the previously shared stories of Jasper & Eloise, Laurel & Hardy, George & Garth, Trudi and Ethan. 

Ashley DiFelice's next court date is Thursday, February 22nd. Please continue to share the petition in the meantime! Thank you.