In this episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish explores which animal best represents Denmark and uses that question as a springboard to discuss Danish attitudes toward animals, animal welfare, food choices, and pet ownership. She notes that the official national animal is the mute swan, but its aggressive nature feels at odds with Denmark’s cooperative image. Listeners more often suggest the pig—reflecting Denmark’s prolific pork industry and the animal’s intelligence—or the dog, symbolising reliability. Mellish also mentions the challenge of finding a universally acceptable symbol given Denmark’s Muslim minority. She then shifts to animal welfare labeling, describing how Danish supermarkets clearly mark eggs and meat with seals from Animal Protection Denmark, and how ethical food choices are becoming more common, especially among the growing community of Indian IT professionals. The episode surveys pet ownership statistics (27 % cats, 24 % dogs) and cultural norms: Danish pets are cared for pragmatically, without excessive pampering, and owners accept natural end‑of‑life decisions. Beyond cats and dogs, Danes keep fish, hamsters, canaries, bunnies, backyard chickens, and notably horses—the third most popular “pet.” Owning a horse is an expensive hobby, costing roughly 3,000 DKK per month plus a high purchase price. Mellish wraps up by promoting the podcast’s website, social media, and related books.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. Among the many cultural questions I ask audiences, during my How to Live in Denmark game show is, which animal best represents Denmark? There never seems to be an obvious or generally agreed-upon answer. Sure, the bear represents Russia, the elephant Thailand, and the bald eagle the United States. But what about Denmark? Denmark does have a national animal: the mute swan. But the image of a swan doesn't provoke the kind of immediate association with Denmark that, say, a koala bear does with Australia. That said, mute swans are easy to find in Denmark. You can see them sailing down the quiet streams of the country's historical parks, such as the Vold in Fredericia or Udderslev Mose in suburban Copenhagen. But these strong, individualist, and often angry animals are a strange fit for a country that prides itself on cooperation and peacefulness. They're also not really mute. In fact, they have a noisy hiss that can signal an attack if they feel their nest is threatened. Given that these muscular birds are about a meter tall and their wingspan can be twice that, you may feel threatened too. Anyway, the answer I get most when I ask which animal best represents Denmark is not the swan, but the pig. There are notoriously twice as many pigs in Denmark as people, and Danish bacon is prized all over the world. Pig insulin also helped create Denmark's thriving pharmaceutical industry, although it has long since been replaced by artificially created insulin. And pigs are reportedly highly intelligent and even have a sense of humor, which many Danes would feel is a good match for Danish humans. In addition to pigs, my audiences also often say that the dog is an animal that could represent Denmark— reliable, faithful, and not too flashy. But neither dogs nor pigs would be an acceptable symbol to Denmark's Muslim population, which is now about 5% of Danish residents. So it's back to the drawing board. Personally, I think a good approach might be to look at the characters in the popular Danish children's comic Rasmus Klump. They include a bear cub— that's Rasmus— and his friend Pingo, who's a penguin, and Pelle, a pelican. Any one of those would be a nice national animal that everyone could agree on. Most Danes would consider themselves animal lovers, and most people in Denmark care about how animals are treated. Animal welfare is a pretty safe political position in Denmark, even if the animals are being raised for food. I had a chicken teriyaki ready-made meal for dinner last night, and it had a printed seal of approval from Animal Protection Denmark. If you go to a Danish supermarket, eggs and meat are all very clearly marked to tell you what kind of life the animal led. I can even remember reading a dating profile from a fellow who said he would not consider ladies who bought eggs from from caged hens. As with many places in the world, vegetarianism and veganism is becoming more popular in Denmark. The meatless selection in grocery stores is growing, in part to meet demand from the many IT specialists who have recently arrived in Denmark from India. Pets are another part of the Danish animal scene. Danes love their pets. About 27% of Danes own a cat and 24% own a dog. Even though many urban apartment buildings don't officially permit them. That said, Danish pets are not pampered in the way that Chinese or French pets might be, with tiny clothing, fancy food, or dog spas. A Dane has no intention of putting her dog into a miniature puffer jacket for a walk, even in the depths of winter. Safety equipment like a little lighted collar Is more popular. And nobody calls their dog their best friend or their fur baby or takes it around in a baby stroller. Furthermore, when a pet's time on earth comes to an end, they are not kept alive with extraordinary measures. An acquaintance came to Denmark with the goal of making artificial legs for aging and crippled pets but found little demand. Letting go of pets when their time has come is very similar to the Danish attitudes towards letting go of people when their time has come. While dogs and cats are the two most popular pets in Denmark, there's also an interest in the usual fish, hamsters, and canaries. Bunnies are big among preteen girls. It's also quite common for suburban families to raise chickens in their backyard. For several months, the chickens provide fresh eggs, and then ultimately they provide a chicken dinner. But the third most popular pet in Denmark. after cats and dogs is actually horses. Many people who live in cities or near cities own a horse or a share in a horse that lives in the nearby countryside. You might have a 10:00 AM meeting with a business partner who will mention that she's already been out for a 7:00 AM ride. Owning a horse is an expensive pleasure. Once stable fees, hay, vet bills, horseshoeing, and food are taken into account, Maintenance of a horse can easily cost 3,000 crowns a month. That's about $500. And that excludes the cost of the horse in the first place, which is probably roughly 30,000 crowns, maybe $5,000. Looking at that price tag, you might be tempted to just buy birdseed and try to pet the swans. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. Come visit us on howtoliveindenmark.com or on Twitter Instagram at How to Live in DK. The 2 is a number. We're also on Facebook, and you can pick up the How to Live in Denmark books— How to Live in Denmark, How to Work in Denmark, and Top 35 Mistakes Danes Make in English— at books.howtoliveindenmark.com or on Amazon, Google Play, Saxo, and Apple Books. Thanks for listening. See you next time.
