A Meat and Dairy Article from All-Creatures.org

Tasty Bacon or Fellow Being? The Paradox of How We Relate to the Intelligence and Emotions of Pigs

From Marc Bekoff, Earth/Food/Life a project of the Independent Media Institute
September 2024

Pigs are both intelligent and sentient—capable of feeling. It is clear that it is illogical and immoral to treat pigs as mere objects.

Introduction

Pigs are fascinating animals. Science shows they can solve challenging problems, love to play, display wide-ranging emotions, and have unique personalities. In short, they are both intelligent and sentient—capable of feeling. It’s clear that it is illogical and immoral to treat pigs as mere objects.

In 2015, I reviewed an essay notable for its summary and distillation of research on sentience in pigs. Compiled by researchers Lori Marino and Christina M. Colvin and published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology, “Thinking Pigs: A Comparative Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Personality in Sus domesticus” unearthed some interesting findings.

The main aims of the paper were to present pig psychology separate from its role in agriculture and pinpoint critical areas for further exploration. To accomplish these aims, “Thinking Pigs” considered various topics, including domestication, sensory abilities, learning skills, time perception, spatial learning and memory, novelty seeking, social cognition and complexity, self-awareness, personality, curiosity, and play.

“Pigs display consistent behavioral and emotional characteristics that have been described variously as personality… [:] coping styles, response types, temperament, and behavioral tendencies,” the researchers concluded. Advocating for greater respect and understanding of pigs’ complex mental capacities, the authors called for a shift in how humans perceive and interact with them.

The Cognitive Lives of Pigs

Since “Thinking Pigs” was published, many other studies have shown that pigs possess cognitive abilities widely accepted as indicating “human-like” intelligence. For example, a 2023 explainer by Rachel Graham for Sentient Media titled “Pigs Are Intelligent and Clean Animals, Actually” cites several studies revealing pigs to be even more sociable and intelligent than was previously known.

Pigs use tools in different situations and have been seen using sticks to dig and build a nest. Like primates (including humans), wolves, and birds, pigs employ third-party mediation, adopting a “triadic contact” strategy to resolve group disputes.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE, including:

• The Cognitive Lives of Pigs
• The Emotional Lives of Pigs
• Does It Matter If Pigs Are Smarter Than Dogs?
• Should an Animal’s Intelligence Save Them From Being Eaten?
• Referring to the Intelligence or Emotional Lives of Animals Is Not 'Humanizing' Them

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: September 2, 2024
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