Underdogs of the Animal World: Pigs

By Tilly boscott

August 13, 2014

By Tilly boscott

August 13, 2014

Look at this picture. I defy anyone to look at this piglet and not die of cute. Literally. It simply cannot be done. You think you’re alive, but you’re not. You’re like The Sixth Sense guy, but way cooler, since you read HelloGiggles, and your best friend is probably not a nine-year-old boy.

Anyways. . .

There are around one billion pigs in the world. There are between seven and eight billion people. That means that if everyone got a bit organized, every eight people could share a pig. So why do I not have a pig?! The world needs to have a meeting. Stat.

There are a few rumors that have been flying about for a while, concerning our piggy friends, and today those rumors shall be quelled, via the magic of facts. Firstly, how many times in your life have you been told that you eat like a pig? If you’re anything like me and consider a tube of Pringles to be a pre-snack snack, probably more than once. But this is completely wrong. Not only are potato chips considered vegetables in some parts of the world, but pigs don’t eat like pigs at all! Well, technically they do, but they don’t stuff their faces full of all the things, like some people think. Pigs actually have a third more taste buds than people, so even though they might chow down on a trough of garbage, if you’ve managed to slip some raw onions in there, they will turn their snouts up quicker than you can say ‘gastronomy.’

Saying that, pigs aren’t totally averse to a little take-out sesh. If the conditions are right, (when are they not?) most pigs will eat for a few hours and then sleep for a few hours, alternating between the two, which, let’s be honest, sounds like the perfect life, right?

Pigs also don’t sweat like pigs. In fact, they don’t even have sweat glands, so where this slander originated from is anyone’s guess. To stay cool, pigs like to get Dirrty, a la Christina Aguilera. They roll around in the mud whenever they get a bit hot and bothered, which not only helps them to chill out, but the mud also acts as a natural sunscreen, which is handy, since the pink piggies would require SPF 50 minimum.

Despite being covered in mud, pigs aren’t the slovenly creatures that they’ve been made out to be, and a pigsty isn’t all that bad as houses go. Ok, you might not see one on MTV’s Cribs anytime soon, but that has more to do with the pigs’ refusal to say, “This is where the magic happens” than a lack of cleanliness. All right, it’s still a pigsty, but it’s not the filthy abode that you might expect. Pigs have a separate toilet and sleeping area, which is nice, and they also have beds. The pigs will dig holes with their snouts, and make a sort of nest with twigs and leaves and grass, for the lady pigs to give birth in.

In other news, pigs are also super smart. In studies, pigs have been found to use mirrors to scope out their surroundings, which is all very impressive, but kinda strange when you realize that they’re using the mirrors for sensible means, rather than to take selfies, like any sane individual. Pigs are also awesome at video games. You probably won’t see them kicking some Nazi-zombie butt on Call of Duty anytime soon, (although that would be EPIC) but NBC News reports that pigs were trained in the ’90s to move a cursor with their snouts to point to on-screen squiggles that were previously seen vs. unseen. Yep, pigs are the computer geeks of the animal world. Next thing you know, they’ll be answering computer help-lines and telling us to switch it off and on again.

If all of this has made you broody for your own bundle of bacon, beware. Some people have been unwittingly sold pigs that weren’t the teensy weensy teacup variety that they were hoping for. Esther the Wonder Pig is an awesome example of this. Her owners, Derek and Steve, were expecting something a little bit smaller when they bought Esther, but because of her general awesomeness, she’s inspired them to not only go vegan, but also to set up a Farm sanctuary to save unwanted food industry animals. Pig power!

So check out the video below to experience the wonderfulness that is Esther, and, if you fancy it, you can also donate to Esther’s Indiegogo page and save ALL the animals!