Scientists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands have
discovered what many of us already knew: farmed animals feel empathy for their
peers, a trait once thought exclusive to humans.
These researchers discovered that “pigs shared the stress
and happiness of their pen mates, according to the Daily
Mail.
The article explains that the “findings suggest that swine
respond to each other’s feelings, and add “weight to the argument that the
practice of separating the animals in farms is especially cruel.
Pigs are as intelligent and friendly as the dogs and cats we
all know and love. Despite this, billions of pigs are kept in cruel factory
farms, where they are subjected to extreme confinement, mutilations without
painkillers, and a ruthless slaughter.
MFA’s powerful new video shows you in under a minute the
life of a pig born on a factory farm. Take a look:
The best thing consumers can do to protect pigs and other
farmed animals is simply to stop eating them.
Photo: Auke Jon Bierma