Pigs Can Play Video Games and Solve Puzzles: Surprising Facts About Their Intelligence and Emotions

If you've ever had the chance to look into a pig's eyes, you might see something surprising-curiosity, intelligence, and sometimes a mischievous glance. Although we tend to see them only as animals raised for food, they are actually extremely intelligent, emotional, and very social animals, with unique individual personalities. They can form close bonds, recognize their names, solve problems, and even dream.

Yet, for most people, when it comes to pigs, it's out of sight, out of mind, which reduces these wonderful animals to mere products on a plate. They are literally seen as commodities, not as sentient beings, playful and eager for love, which they actually are. So why not at least for a moment look at pigs with truly open eyes-as living beings very similar to us, deserving both respect and compassion. After all, we have plenty of food options today, and we have the luxury of choosing what we eat, while pigs, unlike us, do not have that luxury, and all they have is life itself. That is their only possession, and they ask for nothing more. So who are we to take that away from them?

Let's therefore, even for a moment, put pigs in the spotlight and discover some fascinating facts about them, testifying to how amazing these animals are. The moment we are able to perceive pigs as someone, not something, our opinion about them inevitably changes fundamentally.

Fascinating and little-known facts about pigs

• Pigs can play video games – Studies have shown that pigs can control a joystick and learn to play simple video games, proving they can match not only dogs but also primates in intelligence.
• Pigs have excellent memory – They can remember places, distinguish people and animals they know, and even recall how they solved a problem years later.
• Pigs love music – Some pigs react very positively to music and even show preferences for certain genres. Studies have found that classical and gentle melodies help them relax.
• Pigs are great communicators – It has been discovered that they can use more than 20 types of sounds and vocalizations in mutual communication. It has been observed that sows literally sing to their piglets while nursing!
• Pigs love to cuddle, especially enjoy belly rubs – Just like dogs, pigs love when someone shows them tenderness, and they will happily roll over expecting a belly rub. They are capable of forming extremely strong emotional bonds with both humans and other animals.
• Pigs are excellent navigators – They are natural explorers and can find their way home even from great distances. They have shown excellent navigation skills in mazes, remembering complex paths.
• Pigs dream like humans – It has been found that pigs go through REM phases while sleeping, so it is assumed they dream like humans.
• Pigs are naturally very clean animals – Despite the common stereotype, pigs do not like to be dirty and live in a dirty environment. When they have enough space, they will divide the area into where they eat, sleep (they even like to arrange it), and where they relieve themselves (bathroom)-just like humans.
• Pigs save lives too – Pigs can be trained to help people in various ways, even detecting certain health conditions in humans.

Photo: Shutterstock/Kristina Sevelieva

How are pigs similar to humans?

• Intelligence and problem-solving ability – Pigs can solve puzzles, learn various tricks, and even recognize themselves in a mirror, a sign of self-awareness found in very few species.
• Forming strong social bonds – Pigs are extremely social animals and form very strong and close bonds with family members and friends. They even grieve the loss of their closest ones.
• Curiosity and playfulness – Just like human children, pigs love to play. They enjoy running, playing with toys, and even in group games.
• Emotion – Pigs are capable of experiencing and showing a wide range of emotions-happiness, excitement, stress, and sadness. When isolated and neglected, they can easily become depressed.
• They love food – Pigs, like us, have a great sense of taste and enjoy eating various types of food. They often even have their favorite flavors!

If these fascinating facts about pigs surprised you, it's no wonder. We humans rarely get the chance to interact with these animals or see them in an environment where they live happily and stress-free. The vast majority of pigs live their short lives crammed into concrete industrial farms, often without windows. Placed in such inhumane and stressful environments, these extremely emotional animals have no chance to express their true nature. There they will survive (not live) about 6 months until slaughter or at most 3-5 years giving birth to piglets, if they are sows. Their natural lifespan, depending on the species, is 12-20 years.

Such a lifespan can only be achieved by pigs living in a natural and friendly environment-enjoying the simplicity and beauty of life. That's why in this article we bring you several fantastic videos from the profile of a beautiful pig sanctuary, where they live their best lives. And I must admit-it's a real joy to watch them!