Cruelty sold under the guise of tradition and "entertainment" is still cruelty. A “pig scramble,” sometimes called “pig wrestling,” is an event that is torturous to the pigs/piglets involved. Typically, during a pig scramble throngs of frantic people chase after pigs to grab them and put them in a barrel before a timer runs out. The pigs are often slathered with a slippery substance to make them more difficult to catch. In the process, people grab at, yank on and leap upon piglets, often causing extreme physical pain, broken limbs, and suffocation in addition to the obvious emotional stress put upon them.  Any reputable animal welfare group, veterinarian and indeed, any person with a reasonable about of empathy would tell you that these events cause fear, stress, and undue pain to these docile creatures.  In short, it is clearly abuse. 

In addition to the effect upon the non-human animals involved, think, for a moment what effect it has on the children who watch and/or partake in it.  In every interaction with animals, we teach our children what is and is not okay.  Pig scrambles teach the wrong lesson.  They teach that it is not only okay to manhandle animals, to chase them and scare them and hurt them, but that it is funny. 

There are so many things that a great Maine agricultural fair has to offer, so many things that highlight Maine's hard-working, ingenuitive and creative people, Maine's history and traditions, Maine's crops...etc. Pig wrestling/scramble events are specifically outlawed in both Minnesota and Rhode Island. Maine should join these states and in the future, hold onto the traditions that make Maine agricultural events something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of.