The rare pig breed, Husum Red Pied or Danish Protest Pig, stands for pride, bravery, and mostly spite! The farmers of Denmark protested in the early 20th century by raising a rare type of pig! This pig was made to look like the country's banner which is pretty straight forward.
Why a pig as a symbol? Why not! The reason is brilliant. The Danish's banner consisted of red and white stripes. Given its red color, its broad white vertical belt and a trace of a white horizontal belt resembling the colors of the flag or banner of Denmark - this new breed was fairly easy to create. All the pig needed was a red coat and one or two white belts. As far swine go this seems like pretty easy cross-breeding!
Why did they need this symbol you ask? This little piggie became the Protest Pig!
Mental Floss tells us the Danish farmers on the wrong side of the argument with Prussian rulers had to obey a new rule and couldn't raise their flag,
"In the 19th century, Denmark and Prussia couldn't agree on where to draw their border. If farmers couldn't raise their flag they would simply raise pigs that looked like their flag!"
How cute are these pigs! They were almost extinct!
Most of the breeding populations today reside in zoos, unfortunately. At least this piece of history is still being represented!
It's actually amazing to think that a symbol from the beginning of the 20th century is still represented even if it is a zoo. This rare breed thanks to Prussian rule is still represented at the Berlin Zoological Garden. We're also grateful that the Danish flag or flag of Denmark was so easy to replicate in a pig breed!
What do you think about the history of this pig? Please leave a comment below!
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