Pigs demonstrate sophisticated cognitive abilities that have profound implications for how we understand and address their welfare needs.
The cognitive sophistication of pigs has direct welfare implications. Animals with complex mental lives experience boredom, frustration, and distress in proportionally more complex ways. A pig that can plan, remember, and empathize can also suffer from monotony, social isolation, and chronic stress in ways that simpler nervous systems cannot. The intelligence of pigs strengthens the moral case for providing environments that engage their minds as well as meeting physical needs.