Over the past 20 years, pigs became popular as pets in Western countries which, paradoxically, include this meat in their diet. After years of living together, we have seen many cases where these pets have saved their tutors.
Others have learned behaviors that until then were not considered proper to these species. All this has made us question their degree of intelligence and their emotional abilities. Therefore, recent studies have helped to provide more data on the intelligence of pigs.
Why wasn't the intelligence of the pig considered?
One of the main reasons that led to not estimating the intelligence of this group of animals is that they are an important part of the Western diet. It is unethical for our society to include animals that we consider intelligent in the diet. Examples of this reasoning are dogs or dolphins, animals that no one questions for their intelligence and most of society seems to aberrate just thinking of including them in their diet.
Because pigs are seen as food, let's make sure that they reproduce in industrial quantities to supply the population. This makes our perception of those dirty animals, crammed into their excrements. But this fact is only a consequence of the conditions of captive breeding and not the natural behavior of pigs.
Suspicions about their unknown intelligence
Looking at their behaviour, it is easy to see that they are curious and intuitive animals. They prepare their beds and use mud to cool down and care for their skin during the day. This skincare is particularly important in hairless animals, such as elephants or rhinos. And not a dirty act as historically thought of against pigs.
In rural areas, there has always been a greater integration of animals into the daily life of society. Pigs, like the rest of the livestock, are taken daily from the stables to graze or to look for food and at night are returned to the stables where they spend the night. Well, in many of the testimonies collected, the pigs established their routes and voluntarily returned tonight shelter while the cattle had to be hunted.
There are cases of pigs that have even become famous in their villages to the point of being pardoned. The pig used in the search for the truffle is trained not to eat the truffle when it is found and to wait for the reward. The method of training is the same as that practiced in dogs.
The state of consciousness
The fact of perceiving one's own consciousness is something that for years has been considered something only of human beings, as a characteristic of a rational being, able to think and be aware of one's own existence. Most animals act guided by primary instincts without understanding whether they have their own will or not.
Recognizing oneself in a mirror is an advanced level of perception, recognized in dolphins and macaques. Research by Dr. Donald Broom at the University of Cambridge (UK) claims that the domestic pig is able to recognize itself. They also experience a wide range of emotions, they are able, for example, to experience love or fear.
Intelligence comparable to that of a 3-year-old child
Experiments with pigs have reached a very high level of complexity. For example, difficulties are posed which can only be solved if these animals reconstruct mental images of the problem. Afterward, they mentally seek the solution before putting it into practice.
Examples:
They can manipulate a remote control to achieve the desired result.
They can memorize long journeys in search of something they already know.
They can decipher puzzles through a mirror that reflects the image.
In chase games with two individuals, it happens that when one discovers the riddle, the other chases him first, but the first tries to deceive him so he can win the reward.
Experts classify this type of skill in the development of the human brain from 3 years of age.