Here are 28 interesting Pig facts
1-5 Pig Facts
1. There are pigs in the Bahamas that live freely on the beaches, and after basking in the sun for hours, they swim in the surf. The pigs are exceptionally friendly, running from under the shade of the almond trees to greet visitors that bring them treats. – Source
2. In Bhutan, pig feeds made from marijuana are more common than that made from grass. – Source
3. To help airline passengers deal with travel anxiety, San Francisco International Airport has hired the nation’s first airport therapy pig. LiLou wears costumes and performs tricks to help travelers calm down before boarding their flights. – Source
4. A pig named Lulu saved her owner’s life while the woman was having a heart attack. The pig heard the cries of pain, forced her way out of the yard, ran into the road and ‘played dead’ to stop the traffic. A driver stopped, the pig led him to the trailer, he heard the woman and called 911. – Source
5. In 1968, the Youth International Party nominated a pig as their presidential candidate. At the rally announcing his candidacy, he and his supporters were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. There is speculation that he was eaten by one of the police officers. – Source
6-10 Pig Facts
6. Pork butt is actually from a pig’s shoulder and the ‘butt’ has nothing to do with the animal. – Source
7. Wild pigs are one of the most destructive animals in America causing more than $400mil damage a year in TX alone. They can dig 3′ deep destroying crops and even feast on lambs, calves, sea turtle eggs, and everything in between. – Source
8. There is a species of pig called “Mangalitsa” which has wool on it which resembles that of a sheep. – Source
9. A feral pig once drank 18 cans of beer, fought a cow and then passed out drunk under a tree. – Source
10. Male pigs raised for pork are castrated before puberty in order to prevent naturally occurring substances from appearing in the meat that causes unpleasant odors when cooked, AKA “boar taint”. – Source
11-15 Pig Facts
11. In 1977, the band Pink Floyd tied a giant inflatable pig to a power station as a publicity stunt. The pig broke free and floated over Heathrow Airport, where all flights had to be grounded to avoid collisions with the pig. – Source
12. Material from pig intestines prompts the human body to replace damaged tissues with little or no scarring, recreating the healing efficiency of young children. – Source
13. War pigs were used in ancient warfare, to counter against war elephants, which feared the pigs (and their squeals) and would bolt. War pigs were sometimes lit on fire to enhance this effect. – Source
14. Around 20 million years ago, 7-foot tall, 2000 lb pigs roamed the earth. – Source
15. Wild pigs throughout the Americas descend from pigs brought over on ships by the first Spanish explorers. – Source
16-20 Pig Facts
16. Pigs are immune to snake venom, a trait shared with mongoose, honey badgers, and hedgehogs. – Source
17. When a domestic pig gets out into the wild, it will revert to a wild state in a matter of months, growing tusks, a hairy coat and becoming more aggressive. – Source
18. There is only one pig in all of Afghanistan. His name is Khanzir, which is Arabic name for pig, and he lives in the Kabul Zoo. – Source
19. Pigs have a relatively high cognitive ability, with the ability to use mirrors and learn a considerable amount of tricks. – Source
20. There is a wheelchair bound pig named Chris P. Bacon that does hospital visits and even has a book written after him. – Source
21-25 Pig Facts
21. A “Pig Toilet” is a human toilet/outhouse connected to a pig sty, providing human feces to the pigs as their food source. – Source
22. The U.S. Military does training referred to as “live tissue trauma training.” This is where pigs sustain injuries similar to shrapnel wounds and shotgun blasts. The personnel is then required to keep the pig alive despite numerous life-threatening injuries. – Source
23. The Danish Protest Pig is a reddish pig breed with a white stripe that looks like the Danish flag. When Danes in Prussian North Frisia were banned from raising their flag, they displayed the protest pig instead. – Source
24. A species of pig, the Babirusas, has tusks that can grow long enough to penetrate its own skull, killing it. – Source
25. Female pigs were used to hunt truffles as they are attracted to their smell, which resembles that of a male pig’s sex hormones. The use of pigs to hunt truffle was banned in Italy in 1985 as they tend to damage the truffles while hunting. – Source
26-28 Pig Facts
26. In Ancient Rome, whole pigs were stuffed with sausages and fruit, roasted and served on their feet. They were split open and its “guts” would spill in front of diners. They were called Trojan Pigs. – Source
27. For five centuries pigs could be tried and convicted of crimes in Europe. In some cases, the animals had lawyers working in their defense. – Source
28. Some people use live pigs to practice tattooing on. After the pigs die, one man sells their tattooed skin. – Source
