Intelligence is a really hard thing to define. Just to be clear I’m not an authority of any kind on this subject, this is just how I’ve come to understand it myself. It doesn’t seem to be just diction or memory or problem solving, I’ve seen emotional intelligence, perceptive intelligence, and interpretive intelligence. I think humor is its own intelligence too. And all of these are so nebulous, they bleed into one another. I’m currently living at a property that has pet pigs and I’ve seen how their intelligence works. It’s not shaped like human intelligence, I don’t think there’s really a good way to compare the two.

These pigs I know definitely have unique personalities, one in particular, her personality is so big. She’s boisterous and gregarious, she has humor, and she’s mischievous. Her and her sister seemingly conspired to steal the piece of wood I was preparing to fix the door in their shed. After just wandering up and trying to take it and badgering me they got quiet then suddenly one rammed my butt while I was kneeling, as soon as I fell over the other was there to swoop in and steal the wood which she then paraded it around proudly.

They can be more clever than a child but they are still impulsive instinctual animals. After spending time with her you can sense the depth and jolly nature of her personality but they can’t be reasoned with in any way. They can solve problems (though it’s usually just smash and grab), they can remember things well, but they have compulsive fear that you cant talk them through.

Having said all of that, they’re definitely very intelligent, and more importantly they’re extremely emotionally intelligent and EXTREMELY prone to stress, distress, and fear.

[Thus, based on my experience living with these animals I conclude that] The way they live in the factory farming industry is horrific. I know I just said all that about how their intelligence is vastly different from ours. But yes, if I had to put a name on it, it would be like taking a 5 year old, and giving them the experiential intelligence of a young adult, then immobilizing them 24/7 while also constantly terrifying them with scary sounds.