Elodie Mandel-Briefer, a behavioral biologist at the University of Copenhagen, and her team have developed an algorithm that can use artificial intelligence to interpret sounds emitted by pigs. Using this, breeders can improve the emotional state of animals, that is, their well-being, wrote A Reuters.
The researchers started from the sounds the animals make, where short grunts are associated with positive feelings, while long sounds indicate discomfort. The latter can be heard mainly as they push towards the bottom. If a serious quarrel breaks out, or if pig friends are separated, that is, they are under stress or pain, they make sharp, high-frequency sounds. With the help of these, it was possible to classify the sounds of pigs.
Thousands of grunts have been collected in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, France, Norway and the Czech Republic, and recorded in specific situations. During games and competitions, or when the pigs are alone.
Using the combination of sounds, the AI was able to determine the positive or negative nature of the grunt.
Mandel-Briefer said animals' emotions are essential to their well-being, but are not usually measured on farms. However, the new algorithm makes it possible to explore correlations between housing and pig happiness. What was already suspected has been confirmed: pigs raised outdoors or on organic farms, which play a lot, show less stress than their counterparts living in normal (stressful and crowded) rearing conditions.
According to the research team, the algorithm is useful for breeders because it can assess the stress level of animals, but it can also be used to tag farms according to where they are taking steps to ensure the animals are happy. Breeders are therefore encouraged to pay attention to the needs and emotions of their animals, but this may mean that we will not have the heart to put happy little pigs in soup, and will move towards global vegetarianism.
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