Swimming with pigs in beautiful, crystal clear Caribbean waters, under glorious blue skies, seems like a dream come true for many people.

And for the inquisitive animals, it doesn't seem like a terrible life either - with plenty of room to run around in the glistening sunshine.

The pigs have some famous neighbours in the luxurious Exumas - a stretch of 365 cays and islands in the Bahamas, where A-listers own private islands.

They have a steady stream of food from adoring tourists who arrive on their uninhabited island by boat, as well as easy access to the cooling sea.

But there are claims that 'Pig Island' is not as sunny as it may seem.

Tourists come from far and wide to see the little pigs swimming out to meet the boats (
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Moment RF)
Te famous swimming pink pigs at Staniel Cay, which neighbours Major Big Cay (
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Major Big Cay is one of the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas (
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EyeEm)

The pigs on Major Big Cay island - which are wild but have become used to human contact - have reportedly been seen sunburnt and covered in cuts.

Visitors have claimed that excited tourists pick them up and make them do tricks, with some holidaymakers allegedly even feeding the creatures booze.

There are also reports of the animals biting visitors - a sign that could mean they are stressed and upset, according to experts.

Over the years, the pigs have become celebrities in their own right thanks to glitzy snaps posted on social media by tourists and stars.

How they ended up on the island is a bit of a mystery.

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Kendall Jenner shared this snap of her and model pals near pig beach
Bella Hadid shares a snap of the pigs on her Instagram

Some say they were left by a group of sailors, who planned to come back and cook them and others claim the pigs swam over from a shipwreck nearby.

Other 'pig islands' have popped up as people have seen the huge amount of tourism Major Big Cay gets from the creatures.

But as the animal's popularity has grown so too have fears over their treatment, with the pigs reportedly having been fed beer, rum and other alcohol.

Last February, the island made headlines around the globe when at least seven pigs were found dead.

An official investigation led by the government found in March that they had died due to ingesting sand.

Kim Aranha, the President of the Bahamas Humane Society, last year called for the release of a report on the investigation.

Other 'pig islands' - like Staniel Cay - are popping up as people have seen the huge amount of tourism the pigs bring (
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Getty Images Europe)

Kim told Tribune 242 that local tour operators are respectful of the pigs, but that "silly" tourists showing up on other boats can cause harm to the animals.

"I know there are a lot of silly sailors that go and feed them alcohol to try and get them drunk but that’s not to mistake them with the tour operators based out of Nassau who have treated them with excellent care," she said.

Wayde Nixon, one of the owners responsible for the pigs, told the Nassau Guardian that he blamed tourism for the lost pigs.

“[Tourism] is blowing out of proportion,” he previously said.

“Anybody [can bring] food there …. We have people giving the pigs beer, rum … all kinds of stuff."

Bella said she was 'dead' (slang for being bowled over) at seeing the little trotters
Some tourists have raised concerns for the pigs (
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Blogger Michelle Cehn said she was horrified at what she saw when she visited the island during her honeymoon recently.

She claimed she found hungry hordes of pigs and ten to 15 little piglets, many with cuts and wounds all over their bodies.

"I started to worry that all of these pigs were suffering from severe burns from being exposed to the strong Caribbean sunshine day after day," she said.

"Most of the tourists I saw there were not aware of any safety precautions they should take when interacting with the pigs.

"And the things I saw them do for the sake of a photo were cringeworthy.

"It’s amazing there are not already stories circling about serious injuries at Pig Island, but it’s only a matter of time."

Michelle's comments about the alleged mistreatment of the animals have also been echoed on Tripadvisor.

Last February Major Big Cay made headlines around the globe when at least seven of the pigs were found dead (
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Glowimages RF)

While most reviews are excellent or good, some show the dark side and dangers of interacting with the wild animals.

One reviewer claimed: "The pigs are very aggressive both in the water, and on the beach.

"Before you leave the boat, you are told to never turn your back on the pigs (one girl on our boat did, and she got bitten. Broke the skin)."

They added: "I couldn't get back on the boat to leave fast enough."

Another anonymous commenter said: "Huge and some aggressive, because they want to eat."

People have claimed to have seen the animals suffering from sunburn and cuts (
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Getty Images North America)
Some people say the pigs have bitten tourists. There is no suggestion the holidaymakers in this photo have mistreated the animals (
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Moment Mobile ED)

They continued: "People were feeding the pigs all sorts of things, hugging the pigs, trying to make them do tricks, and picking up the baby pigs."

UK-based livestock manager Claire Elson, who works at a farm in the south east of England, explained why the pigs may be displaying certain behaviours.

She told the Mirror Online: "If they're biting they obviously feel in an uncomfortable position.

"Too much picking up can stress them out, but it's hard to say with what they've been used to.

"Pigs have been known to be living on beaches so it's not unusual for them to be in that environment but they tend to have their mud wallows which they use for moisturiser and it protects them from the sun.

"Any animal could be at risk from getting sunburnt but it depends on their surroundings - they will probably have adapted to their surrounds there.

Authorities are now looking at plans to bring in boundary lines between the pigs and tourists and also posting a warden on the beach to protect the animals (
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Moment RF)

"They're really intelligent so they will go away from danger - if they're in a dangerous positions - they wouldn't go down there."

"But if people without the knowledge of how to handle them are picking them up that could hurt them and that could stress them out.

"They will go for you - they have a bark - you don't normally hear - it takes a lot to upset a pig as they are fairly chilled out creatures.

"If it's early in the morning and they are wanting food they'll be more eager to get to it - they pay no attention to us - that's the first priority on their mind - it might make them more anxious

Addressing claims that people have been seen feeding the pigs alcohol, she said: "Well it's not even good for humans so it definitely isn't something people should be feeding to pigs. It will upset their stomach and make them ill.

"People just need to respect that they're wild animals and their way of life - if people are going to want to get close make sure they do that safely.

"If (the pig) shows signs that it doesn't want to be touched, like barking or biting - leave it alone."

The government is already taking steps to protect the pigs following the deaths in February last year, according to a statement from the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, V. Alfred Gray.

They are looking at plans to bring in boundary lines between the pigs and tourists and also posting a warden on the beach to protect the animals.

Mr Gray said: “If we have boundary lines, people will be able to take photographs and see the pigs swim, but they will not be able to feed them things.”

Humane Society inspector Ventoi Bethune said she hoped that if proper changes were made, tourism would continue to thrive.

In an interview with National Geographic last March, she explained: “The pigs themselves have been such a lifeblood for the community.

"Everyone in the community would still like people to come visit.

"There’s almost no place you can go to find pigs swimming in the water."