About this episode
The episode explores the legal and ethical implications of animal rights through the story of Wayne Hsiung's trial after rescuing piglets from a farm.
In 2017, Wayne Hsiung and a crew of animal rights activists from Direct Action Everywhere broke into a Utah pig farm run by Smithfield Foods, one of the largest pork distributors in the world. They were there to capture video of what they say were thousands of mistreated and abused animals kept in tiny metal cages barely bigger than their bodies. As they were leaving, they took two sick piglets out with them. Prosecutors in Utah charged Wayne with burglary and theft. What came next was the court battle that he wanted all along. During his trial, Wayne made a truly bizarre argument that forced the jury, and all of us, to stare straight at our complicated, sometimes uncomfortable relationship with animals. This week on the show, we grapple with the impossible question at the center of it: What is the value of a piglet? Special thanks to Kim Nederveen Pieterse, Nathan Peereboom, Jo Eidman, Sam Kozloff, Rachel Gross, Alex Allaux, and Joan Schaffner. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Sindhu Gnanasambandan and Jae MinardProduced by - Sindhu Gnanasambandanwith help from - Pat Walterswith mixing help from - Jeremy BloomFact-checking by - Diane A. Kellyand Edited by - Alex Neason and Pat…
People in this episode
Hosts: Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Jae Minard
Topics covered
- animal rights
- legal battle
- animal welfare
- pork industry
- ethical treatment of animals
Keywords
- animal rights
- piglet value
- Wayne Hsiung
- Smithfield Foods
- animal welfare
- legal trial
- Direct Action Everywhere
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Direct Action Everywhere, Smithfield Foods
More episodes of Radiolab
- On the Media: American Emergency · June 12, 2026 · 56 min
- Oliver Sipple · June 5, 2026 · 1h 3m
- This American Roach · May 29, 2026 · 37 min
- Worth · May 22, 2026 · 1h 12m
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Hookworms · May 15, 2026 · 46 min
- The Bad Show · May 8, 2026 · 1h 7m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Radiolab podcast page.