Merlin the Pig: World's Most Followed Pig

0:00It's March 27. From your city to your ears, this is Toronto News Today, powered by AI. Merlin, the four-year-old miniature Vietnamese pot-bellied pig from Sacramento, has become an online star by pressing colorful buttons to communicate. His owner, 28-year-old Mina Alali, records her voice on them for requests, like treats, outside time, or water, plus emotions such as frustration. Last week, Guinness World Records named him the pig with the most Instagram followers at 1.1 million. Alali takes Merlin on walks with a leash or wagon outings around town, where fans offer him veggies and fruits. He shows happiness by wagging his tail and relaxing, even without a specific button for it yet. At home, he hangs out with her other pets, like rats, a pigeon, and a dog, though he skips other pigs. Pigs compare walking Merlin to strolling with a celebrity, and Alali started her animal social media journey in 2020 with a bearded dragons, tricks, later adding more unusual

1:02pets before adopting him in March 2022. Pigs like him prove cognitively sharp in memory, problem-solving, and personality, according to studies, a local vet notes these pigs demand lots of patience, daily training, and food rewards to learn button skills, making them not for casual owners. Alali trains Merlin constantly, turning him into a certified therapy pig for visits to assisted living homes, and he's set to be ring bear at her. September wedding. With plans to expand his button vocabulary for more expression, Alali aims to build greater appreciation for pig's intelligence and spirit through his adventures.