The good, good pig

Last night, I finished reading The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood by Sy Montgomery. I really enjoyed it. I did cry at the end (why do animal tales always have sad endings? it's like an unwritten rule of animal writing) but I enjoyed getting to know Christopher. I wish I could have met him in real life. I also learned a lot of things:

  • Pigs, sadly, are usually only allowed to live 6 months (unless they are breeders, in which case they live for 6 or 7 years). Christopher Hogwood, kept as a pet, lived to be 14.
  • There is a place in India called the Sundarbans where tigers swim in the water and regularly eat people. However, the tigers are respected and not killed.
  • There are "pink dolphins" in the Amazon (they have pinkish dorsal fins).
  • Pigs can be vegetarian.
  • Pigs like to have their bellies rubbed.
  • New York's Wall Street was named after a wall built in 1652 to contain the city's roaming pigs.
  • Pig skin is so similar to people's skin that it's used in grafts for burn victims.
  • Similarly, pig valves are used in human heart operations.
  • Christopher Hogwood liked beer.
  • A piglet can gain 5 pounds a day.
  • Emus can run 40 miles an hour.
  • Christopher Hogwood eventually weighed 750 pounds.
  • He was initially the smallest runt of the litter, but he lived a long, healthy life.

Comments

verniciousknids said…
The Wall Street fact is brilliant! Funny how we both did animal posts today :D
11:27 AM
Bearette said…
Hehe...you know what they say about great minds ;)
12:19 PM
jef said…
Woah! Never thought about pigs that way. I have read, however, that indeed, pig valves are used for heart operations. Well, what an informative post you got here!
1:23 PM
Anonymous said…
I've wanted a pig ever since reading Charlotte's Web as a kid.

M and I were picking apples at an orchard once when a bunch of piglets escaped from a pen in the back of the orchard. Since M and I were the only ones around, we took it upon ourselves to wrangle them.

It was great fun. :) They were surprisingly fast!
2:08 PM
Bearette said…
that sounds awesome :) piglets are so cute. i saw some at the mall when i was 8. i think they were part of a christmas display.
2:25 PM
Caro said…
I can gain five pounds a day too.

Animal stories are like Disney's kid movies. Somethings always gotta die!
6:10 PM
This suzy said…
Something about that Wall Street fact is rather ironic, but I can't quite spell it out. What can I say? My mind is too cluttered right now. lol
6:12 PM
Roxanne said…
Lots of fun and interesting facts. Now I want to read about this fat, little piggy.

I think I already knew about the pig skin grafting.
11:16 PM
Bearette said…
C - my mom has noted that!! she said disney movies are very violent. and i'm sure you can't gain 5 lbs a day ;)

Suzy - lol. they actually have a wall street saying: "the pigs get fat and the hogs get slaughtered." something about not being too greedy.

roxanne - you should definitely read it! it was heartwarming :)
11:29 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vegetable personalities

At the risk that you'll all think I'm nuts...but heck. I was getting cauliflower ready for dinner and it occurred to me that vegetables have different personalities. In my mind, anyway. Zucchini: the most agreeable of vegetables. It blends in with everyone, but it's never obsequious or false to itself. Sweet potatoes: the grandmother of vegetables. Very cozy and welcoming. Cauliflower: kind of bland, devoid of personality, but it could surprise you sometimes. Like a dull guy who occasionally tells a funny joke at the water cooler. Broccoli: feisty. Like a terrier. Spinach: kind of dour, but a loyal friend. Kale: has a fierce sense of individuality, but like spinach, is a loyal friend. Kale's affections last for life. Corn: this one is kind of a party animal. Corn is still drinking beer and making a mess when you'd like to be closing up. Tomatoes: a little sloppy. The kind of vegetable that needs to be reminded to tuck its shirt into its pants. Cabbage: not invited t...
Read more

happy birthday e!

[Posted by Bearette's husband until she has Internet access] e was born today! 8 pounds even, a cute and healthy baby boy. He likes to stick out his tongue just a little, and move his mouth around. The hospital gave him a little white hat with a purple pom pom. Bearette is tired but happy. Pictures soon.
Read more

Eventful

A lot has happened today already. I went to meet D for lunch and along the way I spotted a Boston terrier -- one blue eye, one brown. I stooped to pat it and then I heard an ear-bruising screech!! Everyone's head whipped around. Even the dog jumped. A taxi had squealed to a halt and there was a delivery boy on its hood. Somebody yelled, "Call an ambulance!" The boy seemed fine, even hopping on his bike to finish his deliveries -- but everyone persuaded him to stay. I took out my cell phone but another woman was already giving details to 911. After the woman finished the call, I was satisfied that help was on its way, so I continued. There were a bunch of rubberneckers/supporters gathered around the boy, so he wasn't alone. The dog stayed too. I was shaken by this, of course, but then something amusing happened. A few blocks later, I knelt down to pat a beagle tied outside a coffee shop, and it let loose with this big mournful howl: AROOOO. Everyone smiled, including a...
Read more