There was some TV documentary I once watched about pigs - a certain breed - as house pets; they certainly didn't have any problems following their owners around or going where their owner couple wanted them to go, or playing with them just as gleefully and as full of curiosity and love as any puppy you've ever seen. That's the difference I suppose between a real and joyful "life" vs the all too well known sad alternative. Regards,
....Maybe they just fear your cooking!! best way to have a pig is Hawaiian style....they bury that bad boy for a day or two and then uncover it and serve it with pineapple and mai tai!!!! Im getting hungry.....
Sorry buddy, but i'm gonna go ahead and call bullshit on that one. I highly, highly, highly doubt that pigs are even conscious of the fact that they are alive, let alone that they are being stored in a slaughter house to one day feed my belly.
hey im just calling them like me sees them lil jose....i have been known to be wrong....but from what i saw either they know they are going to die ( or never come back at least ) or they must just hate going up that ramp ( too much work for them )...... p.s...... what does "highly, highly, highly doubt" mean?? that you have something that can perhaps back ur smack up....
I'm pretty sure animals feel fear. Why does my neighbour's cat run away from me every time I try and approach it? (No, I haven't done anything nasty to it, I just want to pat the damn thing!) Doesn't it run because it's scared? Scared of what I might to do it if I catch it, doesn't that seem reasonable?
"Passionate Pigs PERHAPS NO OTHER animal is more a subject of abuse and derogation than the pig. We employ the pig as a metaphor for gross and unpleasant table manners: "he eats like a pig"; as indicating a lack of hygiene: "dirty as a pig"; or for just plain nastiness: "he's a real pig". However, the pig in real life, in its natural environment, is neither dirty, gross nor nasty, but instead is blessed with sensitivity, intelligence, curiosity and charm. It is time we reappraise our attitudes to pigs, for they are surely animals worthy of our love and compassion, not disparagement, unkindness and abuse. As the growing number of people who are adopting pigs as companions can testify, pigs are naturally playful, curious and sensitive animals. They are also highly intelligent. For example, John Robbins, author of "Diet for a new America", relates a story of pig heroics which was widely covered in American newspapers. Carol Burke and her eleven year old son Antony were enjoying a swim in a Texas lake, when Antony strayed too far from shore into deep water, and began to panic. Fortunately for the terrified boy, Victoria Herberta had also brought her pet pig Priscilla to enjoy a swim at the lake. Priscilla, obviously noting Antony's distress, immediately rushed into the water and swam strongly out towards him. Luckily the boy managed to stay afloat until Priscilla reached him. Antony then took hold of Priscilla's leash, and as bystanders watched from the shore in amazement, Priscilla pulled the boy to safety. Such stories of pig intelligence and integrity abound among the many guardians of these wonderful animals. For example, Doctor Mike Seltzer, a long-time companion of Boris, a pot-bellied pig, relates how Boris would usually accompany himself and his family on their regular outings together. One day his children were going for a walk with some of their friends, and Mike, thinking that they might not appreciate the company of Boris, kept him inside the yard, which was fenced, with a bolt-lock on the gate. However, such confinement was no match for Boris, who went straight to the gate, unbolted it with his snout and trotted happily after the children, who were delighted to see him. These stories of pig intelligence are well confirmed by awelter of research by animal psychologists, many of whom rate the pig as above dogs in terms of intelligence and problems solving abilities. For example, Professor Stanley Curtis from Pennsylvania State University has taught pigs to play special computer games where they demonstrate sophisticated learning and problem solving abilities. The pigs appear to learn the fundamental aspects of such games as quick as the smartest chimps do. They can also remember their lessons for more than three years. Similarly, Dr Julie Morrow-Tesch relates how pigs can be trained to use computers to control the environment in their pens; adjusting the controls to their personal preferences. Pigs of course have demonstrated their extraordinary olfactory sensitivity for centuries in their ability to snuffle out rare truffles. More recently, their hypersensitive noses have been employed by police to detect drugs. The image of pigs was given a substantial boost recently by the film Babe, which portrayed Babe the pig as an intelligent and highly moral animal who could carry out the difficult sheep-herding role normally played by dogs. Although this film was obviously a fantasy, it may well have its counterpart in real life, according to Katy Cropp, a sheep-dog trials winner. Katy reports having been able to teach pigs to carry out the rounding up and splitting of sheep in much the same manner as dogs are capable of doing. These examples of pig intelligence raise important questions about the use to which we often put these much-maligned animals. As Dick Smith, author of the book "The sheep dog", on which Babe was based, notes "we don't tend to eat animals that we rate high in intelligence, like dogs and chimps. So if pigs are as intelligent as these animals, as seems to be the case, then we shouldn't eat them either." Indeed, after the screening of Babe, pork consumption declined 40 per cent in Australia. It is clear pigs are intelligent, curious, sensitive and highly social animals who have a heightened capacity for suffering. It is simply not acceptable, therefore, that we continue to treat them in the manner that we do: confining them in narrow stalls, where they have no opportunity to display their natural behaviours, and where they go literally mad with boredom and despair. The widespread use of pigs in bio-medical research and as transplant donors similarly needs to be reassessed. In general, it is time we rethink our feelings and attitudes towards these engaging animals. The next time someone calls you a pig, simply smile and say: "thanks for the compliment". Published with the kind authorization of SAFE New Zealand" www.safe.org.nz Also good: "... Do farm animals have the same awareness and intelligence as domestic animals like dogs or cats? Do they really feel emotions such as loneliness, fear and pain? Experts say yes, that the intellect and the emotions farm animals feel are as real and as intense as anything Fluffy or Fido might experience. Noted animal researcher and author, Jeffrey Masson says, "I have no doubt that pigs and other animals are capable of the same complex emotions as the animals with whom we share our lives. It seems undeniable that the only difference between pigs and dogs is the way we treat them."... http://www.idausa.org/essays/veganism.html