Pigs have apparently been bred for farming for over 9000 years; the meatiest and most docile continually chosen to reproduce generation after generation of slightly more efficient fodder.
Having spent ten minutes watching the wild pigs trotting effortlessly over moorland and through the undergrowth, unaffected by the farming industry's selective breeding program, it wasn't rocket science to wrk out that these are incredibly intelligent, explorative beings - full of energy and actually pretty gracious.
Back at the farm, a fully grown domestic porker is wheeled out for a feed and the contrast is pretty horrible. This thing's head is the size of it's oversized arse and, as a result of forced evolution, its rotund mass looks way too much weight for its dainty legs to bear as it staggers lazily about the paddock.
It seemed a bit barbaric that mankind could have so much impact upon another species' development. British farm pigs may well be treated properly and lead a life without pain but that doesn't stop the fact that they live their lives in a body that nature hadn't intended for them.
Mr Doherty and his farmer friend also conducted an experiment to prove the pigs' intelligence; hiding onion, raisins, apple and chestnuts under some turf and marvelling at the fact that the pigs ate everything except the onion.
"Here, pig, are three perfectly edible foodstuffs available in all good supermarkets, and one raw vegetable, which would you like?"
Sorry, but if I gave Jimmy Doherty the same four ingredients, I expect he too would turn his nose up at the raw onion. The experiment did at least demonstrate the animal's remarkable sense of smell.
I bet the pig in question wished his more-mobile ancestors had used that sense of smell in conjunction with their supposed intelligence 9000 years ago to work out when the farmers were coming.
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