Clever Pig Lab
Knowledge about animals is the key to
species-appropriate husbandry
Around 3 million pigs are kept in Austria alone. We already know a lot about their physiological needs such as nutrition, reproduction and the conditions that lead to a maximum yield of meat during fattening. Pigs are more than just meat suppliers. How do pigs think? How do they organise their social environment and how do they learn? These are the main questions that a study team from the Messerli Research Institute has been addressing since 2014 together with a 37-strong herd of Kune Kune pigs.
The exemplary behavioural observation project could not be extended in 2022. The team was faced with the problem of who they could entrust with their beloved Kune Kune pigs. Who could take in a whole herd of pigs? The “Clever Pig Lab” has now been at home at Gut Aiderbichl since autumn 2022.
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How intelligent are pigs?
Most pigs lead a secluded life in high-tech animal factories. However, pigs are more than just food, they are emotional and highly intelligent creatures. In order to investigate the question of how intelligent pigs really are, what their social needs are and how they experience their environment, a new behavioural research facility was founded by the Vetmeduni Vienna in 2014. In the same year, Prof. Ludwig Huber and Dr. Marianne Wondrak, together with the Messerli Research Institute, began their work.
More than just food
Pigs cannot develop their full mental capacity on highly mechanised fattening farms. For this reason, a large meadow with a small wooded area was leased. This was intended to provide the pigs with an optimal habitat, allow them to observe a herd growing up together and develop a natural social structure. Pigs of the Kune Kune breed were selected as observation animals. Thanks to their dense bristle coat, this type of pig can cope well outdoor all year round.
All animals were born in the study environment. From their first day of life, the animals were not only lovingly and gently cared for by their mothers, but also by their human carers.
"Clever Pig Lab" at Gut Aiderbichl
The project could not be extended in 2022. The “Clever Pig Lab” team members were desperately looking for a new accommodation for their protégés. The animals in the herd of 37 pigs had grown up together and were not to be separated even after the end of the project.
The research focus of the Clever Pig Lab contributes to a better understanding of the pig species and also helps us humans to do even better justice to the animals. Gut Aiderbichl was impressed by the work carried out and agreed to take in the animals.
The new home for the Kune Kune pigs offers a 40,000 square metre fenced run and a comfortable 230 square metre barn. Dr Wondrak was instrumental in the design and implementation of the facility. In addition to cosy lying areas with rubber mats and an activity area, the new facility also has permanent access to the pasture.
The clever pig
The research team has already successfully disproved the preconception of the “stupid pig”. Pigs are highly intelligent animals that can even observe and learn a wide range of behaviours from us. Pigs are able to use modern media. For example, they can independently distinguish and categorise images on a touchscreen.
The knowledge about the pigs is gained by means of various intelligence tests. Without exception, co-operation with the pigs is voluntary and exclusively based on positive reinforcement. As a reward for their co-operation, the pigs are given small pieces of apple, grapes or corn kernels. The tasks for the intelligence tests were given to them individually or in small groups, in outdoor or indoor arenas.
If a pig is to take part in the test, it is called by name and voluntarily follows Dr Wondrak to the respective arena without restriction or herding. If a pig is not motivated to participate at this point, it is called again at a later time. If a pig shows displeasure or stress during the test, it is immediately returned to the pasture.
With our work, we want to contribute to a more humane treatment of animals.
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Dr. Marianne Wondrak
Dr. Marianne Wondrak studied agricultural sciences at the Technical University of Munich in Weihenstephan and veterinary medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. While working in veterinary practice, she developed a fascination for animal behavior in general and pigs in particular. She quickly became interested in the widely underestimated abilities of so-called farm animals and the very ambivalent human-animal relationship. She soon switched to animal welfare and worked as a specialist consultant for animals in agriculture at the German Animal Welfare Association. In spring 2014, she began a PhD program at the Messerli Research Institute and was intensively involved in setting up free-range pig farming at the Haidlhof research station, breeding and rearing the animals, and carrying out the practical research work. From 2016, Dr. Wondrak headed the Clever Pig Lab as a university assistant and focused on the socio-cognitive abilities of Kune Kune pigs. In fall 2021, she moved to Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf am Wallersee as a veterinarian and has since been caring not only for the pigs from the Clever Pig Lab, which have also moved to Gut Aiderbichl, but also for all the other animal residents.
