Pigs often get an unfair, bad rap and are portrayed as dirty, dense, lazy animals. However, these descriptions can’t be further from the truth.
Pigs are actually very smart and clean, and they love to play.
Sadly, humans exploit these intelligent animals by not only breeding them at an industrial scale for food1 but also by using them in cruel and unnecessary experiments.
Pigs in NZ have been used to:
1. Research ways to sustain, enhance and make more money for the animal agriculture industry.
Examples include research into:
- Maximising their weight gain.
- Decreasing feeding costs.
- Investigating how painful tail-docking is.
- Reviewing how they cope with different animal husbandry methods.
- Finding the most "humane" or "efficient" ways of killing (including gassing) pigs.
2. Investigate methods of controlling unwanted wild pigs.
Examples include:
- Studying the spread of diseases by wild pigs.
- Investigating ways of killing wild pigs.
3. Conduct forensic studies (i.e., studying blood-spatter patterns from gunshot wounds in live pigs).
4. Try and model humans in medical research relating to digestion, hearts problems, eye infections, nicotine injections and wound healing.
5. Teach students surgery skills and techniques.
6. Investigate xenotransplantation (transplanting organs, tissues, or cells from one species to another). I.e., pigs had had cells from their pancreas "harvested" and transplanted into human patients with diabetes.
Learn more about xenotransplantation here.
7. Conduct basic biological research into how intestines move, stomach muscles react to damage, oxygen influences gut microbes and how hearts function.
Auckland Island Pigs
NZ's renowned Auckland Island Pigs have been exploited for science in many ways. These pigs were discovered on a remote island and became desirable research subjects as they hadn’t been exposed to the pathogens and diseases that other pigs in non-isolated areas had.
Learn more about how they have been used here.
Places that use pigs for science in NZ include private companies, universities, and crown research institutes.
Pigs used for science in NZ are sourced from breeding units, commercial sources and farms, which can include teaching farms/facilities run by universities or other institutes.
Discover real-life examples of how pigs have been used in NZ below!
Studying starch digestion in pigs to try and model humans
Pigs were fed different diets containing durum wheat or rice. Some had regular blood samples taken through a catheter. All the animals were killed at the end.
Testing if pigs can be fed by-products from biofuel and food processing
Pigs were fed a standard diet or a diet containing by-products from other industries. They were slaughtered to compare meat growth and quality.
Harvesting colon tissue for laboratory tests
Pigs were killed and their colon tissue was used for laboratory testing.
Investigating intestine movements
Young pigs and NZ White rabbits were anaesthetised. A part of their intestine was pulled out far enough to record its movements and signalling.
Testing the strain on a temporary surgical implant
A surgical implant was screwed to a severed pig head, and measurements were taken via laser scanning.
Testing the effect of different species’ milk on protein digestion
Piglets were fed different kinds of milk from other species for 15 days. They were killed to dissect their stomachs.
Testing a UV treatment for bacterial eye infection
Pigs’ eyes were acquired for testing a new treatment, followed by tests on live mice, most of whom were killed.
Investigating oxygen content in the gut
Pigs were fed diets with different or no protein sources as a control. After a week, all were killed.
Testing transmitter implantation on wild pigs
Wild pigs were captured, and three different tracking devices were fixed to or implanted into each one. After 104 days, they were tracked down and killed.
Testing the effect of different species’ milk on brain gene expression
Piglets were fed different kinds of milk from other species for 15 days. They were killed to dissect their brains.
Assessing pigs as digestion models for humans
Titanium tubes were implanted into pigs’ intestines. Digested food was collected through the tube for 9 hours.
Validating a treatment for stomach muscle dysfunctions
Pigs were anaesthetised, their bellies were opened, and electrodes were placed on their stomach walls before and after damaging some stomach tissue with heat. All pigs were killed.
Testing a treatment for stomach muscle dysfunctions
Pigs were anaesthetised, their bellies were opened, and electrodes were placed on their stomach walls before and after damaging some stomach tissue with heat. All pigs were killed.
Harvesting eyes for lab tests
The eyes of pigs and rabbits killed for experiments were used to analyse the structure of the cornea.
Harvesting rabbit and pig eyes for lab tests
The eyes of slaughtered rabbits and pigs killed for experiments were used to analyse the structure of the cornea.
Testing how electric stimulation affects stomach movements
Nine pigs were anaesthetised, their bellies were opened, and electrodes were placed on the stomach walls. Electric stimulation tests were performed before the pigs were killed.
