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Like humans, pigs have a strong instinct to care and protect their young. When she is ready to give birth, a free ranging female pig (sow) selects a clean, dry area apart from the group. She will often walk several kilometres to find a good nest site and gather bedding materials. She hollows out a depression in the ground and lines it with grass, straw, or other materials. For several days after her babies are born, she defends the nest against intruders. When her babies are five to ten days old, she encourages them to leave the nest to socialize with the other pigs. 
This image was sent to us by a Voiceless friend, Natalie Houghton.
Every year we discover more about the cognitive abilities and emotional complexity of farm animals. Pigs are recognised to be at least as good at problem-solving as dogs and have abilities which were often assumed to be unique to apes and humans. | |
To learn more about pigs, the Voiceless team accompanied by the crew from ABC-TV's Australian Story, visited 'Pasture Perfect Produce', a free range farm of Berkshire pigs in Inverell NSW. |
Inverell: Sows give birth in insulated huts with straw to keep them comfortable and warm. |
Inverell: A very sweet berkshire piglet stole the heart of Brian Sherman, Voiceless co-founder and Director. | |
A short drive from the Voiceless office in Sydney, we again took the opportunity to visit a free-range farm, 'Highlands Heritage Pork' near Moss Vale NSW. These are 'critically endangered' English Large Black Pigs. |
Moss Vale: Pigs are really quite amazing. Did you know that newborn piglets learn to run to their mother's voice, and the mother pig sings to her young while nursing. After nursing, a piglet will sometimes run to her mother's face to rub snouts and grunt. | |
Last Updated on 20th February 2007
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