OfalltheanimalscommonlyeatenintheWesternworld,the
pig is without doubt the most intelligent. The natural
intelligenceofapigiscomparableandperhapsevensuperior
tothatofadog;itispossibletorearpigsascompanionsto
humanbeingsandtrainthemtorespondtosimplecommands
muchasadogwould.WhenGeorgeOrwellputthepigsin
chargeinAnimalFarmhischoicewasdefensibleonscientific
as well as literary grounds.
Thehighintelligenceofpigsmustbeborneinmindwhenwe
considerwhethertheconditionsinwhichtheyarerearedare
satisfactory. While any sentient being, intelligent or not,
should be given equal consideration, animals of different
capacities havedifferentrequirements. Commontoall isa
need for physical
comfort.Wehave seenthat thiselementary requirement is
deniedtohens;and,asweshallsee,itisdeniedtopigsas
well. In addition to physical comfort, a hen requires the
structuredsocialsettingofanormalflock;shemayalsomiss
the warmth and reassuring clucks of the mother hen
immediately after hatching; and research has provided
evidence that even a chicken can suffer from simple
boredom.^63 Towhateverextentthisistrueofchickens,itis
certainlytrue,andtoagreaterextent,ofpigs.Researchersat
EdinburghUniversityhavestudiedcommercialpigsreleased
intoaseminaturalenclosure,andhavefoundthattheyhave
consistent patterns of behavior: they form stable social
groups,theybuildcommunalnests,theyuse dungingareas
wellawayfromthenest,andtheyareactive,spendingmuch
ofthedayrootingaroundtheedgeofthewoodlands.When
sowsarereadytogivebirth,theyleavethecommunalnest
andbuildtheirownnest, findinga suitablesite,scrapinga
hole,andliningitwithgrassandtwigs.Theretheygivebirth