Intelligence Squared Can Pigs Really Appreciate Bach? Katherine Rundell Live
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Oct 12, 2026 
Katherine Rundell, bestselling author of The Golden Mole and Napoleon’s Orangutan, explores the astonishing intelligence, strangeness and vulnerability of animals. From pigs distinguishing Bach from brass bands to celebrated orangutans and mythical creatures rooted in real nature, she reveals humanity’s complicated bond with the wild. She also discusses wonder, conservation, faith, AI, storytelling and finding hope in collective action.
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How A Strange Animal Fact Starts A Book
- Rundell’s animal essays often begin with a stray message or historical fragment that sends her on an extended research quest.
- One anonymous snippet about snakes supposedly raining in Connecticut illustrates how small curiosities can reveal humanity’s fascination with the living world.
Reality Is Stranger Than Our Animal Myths
- Rundell combines astonishing biological facts with historical errors to show that reality can be more fantastical than myth.
- Swift flight, unihemispheric sleep, beaver folklore, and imagined fire-breathing hippos all expose how little humanity understands before damaging nature.
The Pig That Flagged Down A Rescue
- Rundell selects endangered animals through remarkable stories, including a pig that played dead in traffic to save its owner during a heart attack.
- Her chicken story recalls a Roman commander who ignored the birds’ refusal to eat grain and was court-martialed after a disastrous attack.
