After Pig Stabbed at Lebec High School, PETA Offers $5,000 to Switch to Non-Animal Ag Program

For Immediate Release:
October 14, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Following the horrific stabbing of a pig named Pancho who was used by Frazier Mountain High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter, TeachKind, PETA’s humane education division, sent a letter today to Principal Michael Vogenthaler offering $5,000 to help the school transition to an animal-free agriculture program.

A freshman student who had planned to exhibit and sell Pancho at the Kern County Fair found him bleeding and in agony from 17 stab wounds on the morning of September 12. Pancho was euthanized as a result of his injuries. Security footage shows a suspect breaking into the barn where Pancho was confined the previous evening.

TeachKind points out that the student’s grief over Pancho stems from young people’s natural empathy for animals—but FFA programs doom animals like Pancho to suffer and die after being auctioned off at the fair and sent to the slaughterhouse. A plant-based ag program would teach in-demand skills; help students explore science-based solutions to the climate catastrophe, food insecurity, and environmental justice; and save them the confusion and pain of sending animals they’ve raised and bonded with to slaughter.

“Switching to a vegan ag program could honor Pancho’s memory by sparing other animals the terror of the slaughterhouse, while teaching students lifelong skills that benefit their communities,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA and TeachKind urge Mr. Vogenthaler to accept our offer and make Frazier Mountain High School a leader in compassionate education.

Pigs dream when they sleep, recognize their own names, and show empathy for other pigs who are happy or distressed, just like humans do. In the meat industry, they’re crammed by the thousands into filthy sheds and endure painful mutilations, including teeth clipping, tail docking, and castration for the males, all with no pain relief, and they’re slaughtered at just a few months old. PETA offers a free vegan starter kit for anyone thinking of making the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. TeachKind also offers free resources, presentations, lessons, and more to help teachers add compassion to their curricula. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org or follow TeachKind on Facebook or Instagram.