Pigs are used extensively in cardiovascular, surgical, and nutritional research due to physiological similarity to humans. Their welfare needs as highly intelligent social animals require specific attention.
Laboratory pigs face welfare challenges that are proportional to their cognitive complexity. As intelligent social animals, pigs in impoverished isolated laboratory housing suffer significantly from social deprivation and behavioral frustration. Their natural behavioral repertoire including rooting, foraging, and complex social interaction cannot be expressed in bare pens with minimal enrichment. Group housing addresses social needs but requires careful management to prevent bullying and ensure resource access for all individuals. The investment in social housing, environmental enrichment, and positive reinforcement training for pigs delivers welfare benefits alongside scientific benefits through more physiologically normal, less stressed subjects. The 3Rs framework requires these refinements, and facilities that implement them typically find that pig behavior and compliance with procedures improves alongside welfare.