Recent instances of pigs being observed using tools further support the idea that humans aren’t the only clever and resourceful creatures. Historically, evidence of tool usage, such as the employment of different objects to modify the environment or to find or prepare food, was considered unique to human intelligence. However, it’s now evident that many animals, even beyond mammals, use tools to improve their existence. For example, numerous non-human primates such as chimpanzees utilise tools for foraging and getting food which would otherwise be tough to access. Corvid birds including the New Caledonian crow have been documented to assemble combined tools to fetch food. It has also been reported that a type of marine fish known as wrasses uses rocks to break open bivalves for their meat. Currently, research from Université Paris-Saclay, UNESCO, University of Paris, and Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle confirms tool-using behaviour in a species of pigs. This research published in Mammalian Biology focused on how Visayan warty pigs, primarily females, in the Ménagerie at Jardin des Plantes in Paris were using sticks and bark as tools for nest-building. Visayan warty pigs, existing in the wild, uniquely create birthing nests prior to delivery. They are known to be intelligent with researchers guessing their potential tool-use, but there was no reported definitive evidence to support this until now.
“There are no published tool-use records in pigs,” write the researchers. However, observations of a Visayan warty pig using bark for digging at the Ménagerie in Paris by one of the study authors, Meredith Root-Bernstein, sparked their interest. As a result, an investigation to record such behaviour was initiated. The initial theory was that tool-use might be a part of their foraging activity, but it was found incorrect and a novel perspective emerged suggesting that females use bark and twigs only for nest creation. Observations made during nest-building time validated this theory as females were documented again using tools. Notably, a pig named Priscilla and one of her daughters were found using tools on four separate occasions for nest creation. An unsuccessful attempt at tool use was made by the only male, Billie. The researchers’ subsequent experiments cemented the fact that female pigs using different objects as tools for nest completion wasn’t accidental as it was repeated on several occasions.
While uncertainties persist whether such tool-use is common in the wild or a learned behaviour in captivity, the researchers conclude, “Our findings provide a new avenue for research on tool use and social learning in pigs.” The researchers also released video recordings of the female Visayan warty pigs using bark and twigs as tools at the Ménagerie in Paris.