Pigs demonstrate remarkable cognitive abilities comparable to dogs and young children. Understanding pig intelligence has profound implications for how we evaluate their welfare.
The cognitive sophistication of pigs creates a profound ethical challenge for current farming practices. An animal capable of recognizing itself in a mirror, forming lasting social bonds, and demonstrating emotional states through cognitive bias tests is an animal with a rich inner life that matters morally. Factory farming systems designed around convenience and efficiency make no provision for the cognitive needs of an animal that needs social complexity, environmental exploration, and behavioral expression. The science of pig cognition does not automatically dictate an ethical response, but it demands that we take their welfare seriously.