Environmental Enrichment for Swine

Swine have increasingly become utilized as biomedical research models in the last two decades. This increased use as an animal model is not only a result of regulatory pressure on other large animal species, but also because swine are recognized as a suitable animal model for human disease based upon their comparative anatomy and physiology. Swine are used as general surgical models of most organs and systems, for cardiovascular research including atherosclerosis, for digestive system models, and in recent years in transplantation and xenografic research.

They are being explored as models in many other systems because of the widespread availability of both domestic and miniature breeds. Hand-in-hand with this increase in the number of swine in research, have come technical developments in surgery, anesthesia, husbandry and handling techniques. These technical advancements have made it easier to use this species in research and have also improved the humane care and use of swine by research institutions worldwide.