The religion, in which Mahavira is seen as the manifestation of 24 Tirthankaras (teachers), attributes souls to all living creatures, as well as other natural objects.
The religion attributes souls to natural objects and living creatures.
Perhaps the pig has always been a comical animal because it's so much like us--a college graduate with 2.3 children, yacking away on a cell phone while it's stuck in traffic in its rotten SUV.