According to the Chinese zodiac, it’s the Year of the Pig, so we’d like to celebrate by sharing seven heart-warming reasons to love them!

They Just Want to Have Fun
Pigs love to cool off in mud baths - after which they'll happily trot off and find a place in the shade. There's also a colony of pigs that live on a beach in the Bahamas. Pigs can't fly, but they certainly can swim!

They Love Getting Cozy
Pigs love snuggling close to one another and will often sleep nose to nose. In fact, pigs get a boost in oxytocin (also known as the ‘love hormone’) after cuddling – just like us!

They Make Good Houseguests
Although pigs in the wild will often use mud to cool down and protect their skin from the sun, it’s a huge misconception that pigs are unclean. Pigs are actually extremely clean animals and refuse to go to the bathroom anywhere near their living or eating areas when given a choice.

They Sing to Their Babies
Mother pigs sing to their young while nursing, which is believed to inform them when her milk is flowing. After nursing, a piglet will sometimes run to her mother's face to rub snouts and grunt.

They Can Play Video Games
A study by Dr. Stanley Curtis at Pennsylvania State University found that pigs can play joystick-controlled video games! Don’t believe it? Watch the video!

They Are Incredibly Social
Pigs are extremely social animals. They form close bonds with other individuals and communicate with a variety of grunts and squeaks.

They Deserve Better
Mother pigs who are used for “breeding” on meat farms live most of their lives confined to gestation crates — metal cages so narrow that they cannot turn around for months at a time. These highly intelligent animals are driven crazy from this confinement, and will often bite their cages until their mouths are full of blood in desperation to escape.

The fate of newborn piglets is also horrific. Shortly after birth, they are subjected to painful mutilations. Their tails are chopped off, their sensitive teeth are cut, and males are castrated, all without any anesthetic or pain relief. For the remainder of their lives they are raised in metal pens or sheds, never to see the light of day, and are sent to slaughter at only 6 months old.

Celebrating the Year of the Pig should mean helping these animals and giving them a voice. You can help pigs by cutting out animal products, and sharing this blog with someone who needs to know how incredible these creatures are!