With acres of earth to unturn, branches to comb through as they explore, and tree cover to shade them from the sun, the Pig Woods have become our pig paradise. Their daily adventures keep their minds stimulated and give them a safe place to unwind.

It’s drastically different from the world so few escape. The pork industry confines pigs indoors—many within cages barely larger than their bodies. Their feet and legs risk breakdown from months to years of standing upon concrete floors. Many grow so bored and distressed that they chew on the bars of their cages to self-soothe.

But Sanctuary is a place where they’re free to be themselves—and to live as nature intended.

Join us for a tour of the woods, led by Bitsy: a pig originally purchased for meat production, but later kept as a companion and brought to Sanctuary after her guardian passed away. Here, she and her friends always have something new to uncover.

Farm animals like Bitsy are bred for certain qualities—from the size of their bodies to the color of their skin. But the industry doesn’t change who they are at heart.

The woods provide more opportunities for pigs to engage in natural behaviors, including wallowing, rooting, and grazing—behaviors they are rarely (if ever) able to perform in industrial settings.

The art of keeping cool: Wallowing, or soaking in a good mud puddle, serves multiple purposes:

• It likely indicates positive welfare—similar to dustbathing in chickens. A pig resting in the mud feels content and at peace.
• Pigs don’t sweat, so wallowing helps with thermoregulation: it keeps their bodies cool.
• Mud is a natural sunscreen. Meanwhile, wallowing beneath shady trees offers extra protection for sunburn-prone animals (especially those bred for lighter skin in pork production).

Choose your own adventure! The environmental complexity of the forest gives the pigs agency to choose how they spend their day. This makes for more meaningful experiences and improved welfare. Bitsy enjoys munching on grass and overturning the earth with her snout!

The heart of the matter: Sanctuary is a promise to care for these animals in mind, body, and spirit. And a proper habitat offers so much more than a safe place to live: it gives them a life of their choosing.

This natural enrichment gives pigs opportunities to explore, stimulate their minds through basic problem-solving, take in the smells and tastes of native vegetation, and experience the sights and sounds of local wildlife.

A home that changes with them: The environment changes with each season, providing pigs with novel opportunities and experiences. Pigs are cognitively complex individuals—research indicates that their intelligence compares to dogs and young children—so new experiences stave off boredom and encourage exploration and problem solving skills.

Simply put, the Pig Woods are a pretty pig deal.