Let’s visit a tropical paradise. The white sand is warm. Clear blue water stretches out in all directions. Palm trees sway in the breeze.

    Then you hear it: noises from the bushes. Is that . . . oinking?

    Suddenly, you’re joined by the island’s only residents: about 20 big, hairy pigs.

    Welcome to Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Beach. It’s in the Bahamas. That’s a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Tourists visit Big Major Cay every year.

    They come to see the pigs.

    Let’s visit a tropical paradise. The white sand is warm under your toes, clear blue water stretches out in all directions, and palm trees sway in the breeze.

    And then you hear it: noises from the bushes. You realize you’re not alone. Is that . . . oinking?

    Suddenly, you’re joined by the island’s only residents: about 20 big, hairy pigs.

    Welcome to Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Beach. It’s in the Bahamas, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Many tourists visit Big Major Cay every year.

    They come for one reason: to see the swimming pigs.

    To get to Pig Beach, most people travel by boat. As you approach the shore, the pigs run out into the water. Sometimes they’ll even swim up to the boats and try to climb on, looking for treats. They know that most tourists bring fruit and vegetables to feed them.

    How did these pigs get to their island home? Nobody is sure, but there are several stories. 

    Some people say that the pigs survived a shipwreck and swam to the island. 

    Others believe that sailors left them there, planning to come back and eat them later. 

    But the most likely story is that farmers from another island put them there. Their neighbors were complaining about the pigs’ smell. So the farmers moved them to the closest island. 

    Every day, the farmers would visit the pigs to feed them. That’s how the pigs learned that boats meant food. They started swimming to meet them. 

    Most people travel by boat to Pig Beach. As you approach the shore, the pigs run out into the water. Sometimes they swim up to the boats. They try to climb on, looking for treats. They know that tourists bring fruit and vegetables for them.

    How did these pigs get to the island? No one is sure. But there are several stories.

    Some people say the pigs survived a shipwreck and swam to the island.

    Others say sailors left them there, planning to eat them later.

    But the most likely story is that farmers from another island put them there. Their neighbors complained about the pigs’ smell. So the farmers moved them. They took them to a nearby island.

    Every day, the farmers would visit the pigs to feed them. That’s how the pigs learned that boats meant food. They started swimming out to meet them.

    To get to Pig Beach, most people travel by boat. As you approach the shore, the pigs run out into the water. Sometimes they’ll even swim up to the boats and try to climb on, looking for treats. They know that most tourists bring fruit and vegetables to feed them.

    How did these pigs get to their island home? Nobody knows for sure, but there are several stories.

    Some people say that the pigs survived a shipwreck and swam to the island.

    Others believe that sailors left them there, planning to return and eat them later.

    But the most likely story is that farmers from another island put them there. According to the story, neighbors were complaining about the pigs’ smell, so the farmers moved the pigs to the closest island.

    Every day, the farmers would visit the pigs to feed them, which is how the pigs learned that boats meant food. And they started swimming out to meet them.

    No matter how the pigs got to Pig Beach, they have made the best of their unusual home. They get plenty to eat from visitors. People who live on nearby islands also help take care of them. 

    In fact, if it weren’t for humans, the pigs couldn’t survive on the island at all. There isn’t enough fresh water for them to drink. They would have a hard time finding food. 

    Some people say that’s a sign that the pigs shouldn’t be there at all. Is it really a good idea to keep animals in a place where they don’t naturally live? Are we doing what’s best for the pigs—or for tourists?

    But other people say these swimming pigs are lucky. They went from forgotten farm animals to celebrities. They’ve been featured on TV shows and gone viral on Instagram. 

    People pay a lot of money to lounge on the white sand beaches of the Bahamas and have food brought to them.

    The pigs get all that for free. 

    No matter how the pigs got to Pig Beach, they have made the best of their unusual home. They get plenty to eat from visitors. People who live on nearby islands also help take care of them.

    In fact, if it weren’t for humans, the pigs couldn’t survive on the island. There isn’t enough fresh water for them to drink. They would have a hard time finding food.

    Some people say the pigs shouldn’t be there. They say it’s wrong to keep them where they don’t naturally live. Are we doing what’s best for the pigs—or for tourists?

    But other people say these pigs are lucky. They went from forgotten farm animals to celebrities. They’ve been featured on TV shows. They’ve gone viral on Instagram.

    People pay a lot of money to lounge on beaches and have food brought to them.

    The pigs get all that for free. 

    No matter how the pigs got to Pig Beach, they have made the best of their unusual home. They get plenty to eat from visitors, and people who live on nearby islands also help take care of them.

    In fact, if it weren’t for humans, the pigs couldn’t survive on the island at all. There isn’t enough fresh water for them to drink, and they would have difficulty finding food.

    Some people say that’s a sign that the pigs shouldn’t be there. Is it really a good idea to keep animals in a place where they don’t naturally live? Are we doing what’s best for the pigs—or what’s best for tourists?

    But other people say these swimming pigs are lucky. They went from forgotten farm animals to celebrities. They’ve been featured on TV shows and have gone viral on Instagram.

    People pay a lot of money to lounge on the white sand beaches of the Bahamas and have food brought to them.

    The pigs get all that for free.