Piggy in the middle: Pig aggression reduced when a bystander pig steps in

[Still Waters]

A small study suggests that when two pigs are fighting, a bystander pig can intervene to either reduce the number of attacks by the aggressor or to help reduce the anxiety of the victim. The study of 104 domestic pigs, published in the journal Animal Cognition, reveals the complex social groups that pigs form and how they may resolve conflict.

In social animals, conflict resolution involves either the reunion of former opponents—an aggressor and victim—after an aggressive event (known as reconciliation), or the introduction of a third-party bystander to reduce further aggression or anxiety (known as triadic contacts). These conflict-resolution strategies are important to maintain balance in social animal groups and reduce victim anxiety, but it is unclear how this applies to domestic pigs.

https://phys.org/news/2022-11-piggy-middle-pig-aggression-bystander.html

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-022-01688-4