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My Suzie Q

The Keiki Pua'a

By Tae DecoitePublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Waipio Valley

My Suzie Q

Growing up in Hawaii was unique in many ways. I was born and raised on the big island and if you know the state of Hawaii at all, you know that the big cities are located on Oahu. To put this into perspective, the entire big island of Hawaii has a population of just over 217,000 people. With this in mind, know that as keiki (kids), my brothers and I always had to be creative in finding ways to amuse ourselves. From hiking, to exploring waterfalls, then when we got older, we would hunt in the forest surrounding our small town.

On one of these trips, two of my brothers and I were walking in Waipio Valley. It was only nine o clock in the morning but it was already hot out. The air was sticky and thick, which is why we didn’t originally see the 7 keiki pua’a (baby pigs) hiding in the shade under some logs. My brother stepped on one of these logs and it made one of the keiki pua’a squeal. I felt so bad for the poor creature so we decided to take her home (and to the vet).

The piglet was small, smaller than my forearm. No one thought she was big enough or strong enough to survive. I knew she was a fighter. I knew she would live. My brothers and parents looked at me like I was crazy because they knew I was going to get attached to a puny little piggy. Needless to say, I did get attached to her, I named her Susanne Qinn or Suzie Q for short. I made sure to feed Suzie and keep her warm, she even had her own spot in my room just for her. I spoiled her and soon she became attached to me too. Suzie was full of personality, she seemed to understand what I was saying and most times she’d react accordingly. This is probably why the ancient Hawaiians would keep pigs as pets. I heard that pigs are smart and easier to train than dogs but until Suzie I didn’t believe it. Suzie knew when I was sad and would playfully walk into something and dramatically fall down just to quickly get back up and look at me waiting for acknowledgement. She would cuddle up to my chest and I’d brush and wash her coarse hair. It was the perfect friendship.

It was my job to protect her and I kept her safe until she got big enough to survive on her own. She loved being outside in the grass and that’s the environment she belonged in. As much as I loved her, I felt bad for keeping her from living a fulfilling life. I took her outside one day and I let her go. She seemed happy to be on her own but grateful to me.

Now, whenever there are pigs in my yard (which happens frequently because I live in a rainforest) I think of Suzie and of how much joy she brought to our lives. I hope that she’s found her family or had piglets of her own. I do miss her but I know it was the right decision to let her live wild and free.

wild animals
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