Love Island: This is the Bahamas island with swimming pigs mentioned by Amber

'Amber wants to go swimming with the pigs in the Bahamas and so do I. I knew I liked this girl for a reason'

Sabrina Barr
Friday 12 July 2019 22:41 BST
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Love Island: Amber's dream is to visit the 'swimming pigs' in the Bahamas

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During Friday evening's episode of Love Island, contestant Amber Gill stated while speaking with fellow islander Chris Taylor that she wants to visit an island in the Bahamas where there are swimming pigs. ​

Following Amber's admission, several viewers of the ITV2 reality dating show immediately took to Twitter to reveal that they had been forced to Google whether or not such a fantastical place exists.

So, is the tropical island real? As it turns out — it is.

Pig Beach is an uninhabited island situated in Exuma, a region in the Bahamas which consists of more than 365 islands.

The island acquired its unofficial name due to the wild pigs which reside on it, which are known to enjoy swimming in its surrounding shallow waters.

The island is officially named Big Major Cay, and is also known as Major Cay and Pig Island.

A cay is a low bank or reef which is usually made up of sand or coral.

According to the official website of the Bahamas, it's uncertain how the pigs wound up living on the unpopulated land.​

However, some believe the pigs may have been left behind by a group of sailors, who originally planned on returning for the animals in order to cook and eat them.

Another myth is that the pigs swam to the island from a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean.

Approximately 20 pigs and piglets now live on Pig Beach, the Bahamas website states.

Tourists are encouraged to visit the island, something which Love Island's Amber may well do in the near future.

There are almost 30,000 posts on Instagram tagged with the hashtag "#pigbeach".

The majority of the posts feature pictures of people posing alongside the pigs, as the animals enjoy a paddle in the clear water.

A boat tour company called Exuma Water Tours offers a full-day boat trip of the Exuma Cays, which includes a visit to Pig Beach.

The tour costs $200 (£159) per adult, and $125 (£99) per child.

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