A pig named Merlin The Pig has earned a Guinness World Record after gaining massive popularity on social media. The four-year-old Mini Vietnamese potbelly pig, who lives in Sacramento, California, now holds the record for the most followers on Instagram for a pig.
Merlin The Pig currently has more than 1.1 million followers on Instagram. His account features videos showing his daily activities and his unique ability to communicate using special buttons.
In many of the videos, Merlin presses buttons that play recorded words. By using more than 30 different buttons placed around the house, he can express what he wants or how he feels. These clips have sparked online discussions about how intelligent and emotionally aware pigs can be when trained with patience and positive reinforcement.
The Instagram account for Merlin The Pig is managed by his owner, Mina Alali. She adopted him in March 2022 and began training him when he was just three months old.
After the Guinness World Record was confirmed, Alali shared a celebratory post featuring Merlin with his official certificate. In the message, she thanked followers for their support and said the achievement would not have been possible without the strong community that has followed the pig’s journey online.
The announcement quickly attracted attention on Instagram, with the post receiving more than 46,000 likes from fans celebrating Merlin The Pig’s record-breaking achievement.