Behaviours such as savaging have sometimes been attributed to the domestication process. In order to decrease loss of piglets due to aggression, savaging behaviours should be further understood. Farmed wild boar sows of three genetic lines were videotaped during farrowing. Sows were aggressive towards 33% of their piglets. More aggressive tendencies were noted in longer farrowings involving many posture changes. Genetic lines were noted to have different levels of aggression. These findings indicate that domestication does not cause savaging. The factors noted in this experiment may be prevalent in domestic sow savaging as well.
Farrowing and Savaging in Wild Boar Sows (full article)
