Merlin the Pig is a Guinness World Record recipient. The adorable pig is officially the pig with the most followers on Instagram, boasting over 1.1 million followers. One of the reasons why Merlin has acquired so many followers is that he's developed the ability to communicate.
© @merlinthepicThe news was shared on Merlin's Instagram, which is populated with clips of him communicating with sound buttons, giving him the ability to express his emotions and make demands. Videos show him requesting food, expressing his frustration, and being very adorable.
"This is OUR plaque!! We made HISTORY," reads the post's caption, which is made up of various photos showing Merlin next to his owner and next to his record plaque.
© @merlinthepig"Thank you guys from the bottom of our human & piggy hearts - obviously couldn’t have done this without you and we are forever grateful for your consistent love and support. The comments saying our content helps with bad days, depression, anxiety, etc is what gets me up in the morning even when I myself am going through a rough patch. So thank you."
"Merlin was disappointed to not find an edible treat with this special delivery, so I brought him out to his favorite places for a celebratory mom/son day (that video is coming tomorrow)!"
How did Merlin acquire these skills?
© @merlinthepigMerlin was raised by his owner, Mina Alali, who began training him in 2022, when the pig was very young. Her consistent training resulted in Merlin becoming very smart and able to communicate his feelings with his buttons, associating them with routines and emotions.
According to Guinness World Records, Alali has plenty of experience training animals, finding media success with different of them. She had a bearded dragon named Mochi, whom she trained with different popular commands used in dogs, like "come," "high five," "wait," and the like.
“The first year of having Merlin was a huge learning experience for me,” said Alali. “He was a lot more vocal (lots of high-pitched squealing), and obviously untrained. It took a lot of patience and work, but I have truly loved him like I would my own child since the day I adopted him, and would do anything for him.”
© Getty Images
