4 ms·
In his book Cows, Pugs, Wars and Witches the anthropologist Marvin Harris tries to ground the pig taboo as a protection against the tragedy of the commons. As
by jrd259 2y ago
In his book Cows, Pugs, Wars and Witches the anthropologist Marvin Harris tries to ground the pig taboo as a protection against the tragedy of the commons. As per Harris, pigs require excessive water, a scarce resource in the region. A flat ban on consuming pigs reduces the chance that people will divert water to pigs. The article hints at this where it calls the pig "an animal unfit for the harsh terrain and dry climate".
- cabirum 2y ago"They require less than half the amount of water needed by a cow or a horse, making them more drought tolerant" - it follows from the article that pigs help to conserve water
- aaronbaugher 2y agoMy pigs love to splash water out of their trough or tip it over so they can play in it. In hot weather, pigs will lie in mud to stay cool, and they really suffer if they get too hot. So while pigs may drink less than cows or horses, they may use more water to stay cool in arid regions without good shade. I doubt that had anything to do with the taboo, though.