Posted on 08/29/2018 6:54:19 AM PDT by Red Badger
Goats recognise and are attracted to happy humans, a study has found.
Much like us, they seem to be drawn to smiling faces. But don’t expect to make friends with a goat if you scowl at it.
Scientists showed 20 goats unfamiliar photos of the same human face looking happy or angry.
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The research, conducted at Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats in Kent, demonstrated that the goats preferred to interact with the smiling face.
Released from a distance of four metres (13ft) they generally made straight for the happy image, exploring it curiously with their snouts.
This suggested that goats use the left hemisphere of their brains to process positive emotion, said the team from Queen Mary, University of London.
Dr Alan McElligott, who led the research, said: “The study has important implications for how we interact with livestock and other species, because the abilities of animals to perceive human emotions might be widespread and not just limited to pets.”
Goats were already known to be sensitive to human body language, but the new findings show they also respond to emotional facial expressions.
Co-author Dr Christian Nawroth, a member of the Queen Mary team now based at the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology in Germany, said: “Here we show for the first time that goats do not only distinguish between these expressions, but they also prefer to interact with happy ones.”
A goat facing images of positive and negative expressions (Queen Mary University/PA)
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Other studies have shown that dogs and horses also appear to recognise and remember human facial expressions displaying emotion.
Sheep are known to possess a powerful visual memory and an ability to recognise human faces from photographs.
Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers concluded: “These findings suggest that the ability of animals to perceive human facial cues is not limited to those with a long history of domestication as companions, and therefore may be far more widespread than previously believed.”
Dr Alan Mcelligott conducted the research at Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats in Kent (Queen Mary University/PA)
"I can't even get a date with a goat!"
My first thought was “where’s the pic of a smiling Muzzie”?
Goats to the left and sheep to the right.
Grab your partner and hold on tight!.................DO-SEE-DO!............
It is already difficult to fathom what goes on inside the minds of those who find it okay to take advantage of another human body. Rape cases have been on a rise in India and Pakistan both. Women feel quintessentially unsafe in both countries because of the male privilege and mob mentality that always keeps them on their toes.
However, in a new and incredibly unfathomable turn of events, the newest victim of these culprits is a harmless animal. A 7-year-old pregnant goat recently died after being gang-raped by 8 men in a small town in India.
8 men were caught in the action by the owner of the goat in a village in Haryana’s Mewat district. Three of them were immediately caught and beaten to a pulp by the villagers.
Under section 377, warrants for the men were released as they broke the rule that forbids “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with man, woman or animal.”
The owner of the goat, Aslup Khan said that he heard a peculiar noise at 11 pm on a Wednesday night. Soon after the goat was found missing from the shed and the gate wide open. The 27-year-old found the men sexually assaulting the goat. The men caught allegedly had a criminal record and were known for similar acts in the past.
The goat was left paralyzed for a day after which she died the following day.
Later a vet confirmed that the goat had in fact been sexually assaulted. It was 50 weeks pregnant and is said to have died of a brain hemorrhage. The goat was said to have blood in its windpipe.
Claiming that this is a sad situation is quite the understatement. Where rapists absurdly enough claim that a woman’s provocative clothing is what stimulates their brain into raping them, one cannot even question what provoked them in the case of a goat.
Moreover, this also constitutes unimaginable levels of animal abuse, which is something not limited to India. Just two weeks ago a donkey that was attacked in a politically motivated incident ended up dying from its injuries.
Another picture of a donkey was doing rounds on the net with a terrible gash to his head. And, stray dogs get shot by ‘security officials’ like its a sport of sorts.
The case in India combines sexual assault with animal abuse. But in the end, whether it is India or Pakistan, the fact is innocent animals are tortured and killed by alleged ‘superior beings’.
In the poor goat’s case in India, and all other cases of animal abuse we are left wondering:
Is no one safe from the barbarism that is a sick mind?
PING
I posted that very story back when it was new and the Mods pulled it................
This bodes ill for perverts- wooly victims are now recognized as being able to pick their attackers out of a lineup.
Our goat knows to lift her leg so is easier to milk.
He looks like Adolph Hitler....................
That 50 weeks pregnant has to be wrong...
I looked it up ...the gestation period for goats is about 150 days just 20+ weeks, 5 months...
PING to Elsie for comment...
He’s manspreading ... and those black boots symbolize the oppressive patriarchy.
He needs to check his privilege.
< bharf >
Good for you! One less goat for me to deal with, LOL!
Beau would like to eventually raise goats for meat. We have the perfect hillside that we could fence in for them. I could deal with that. Can’t stand the smell/taste of goat milk or cheese...but their meat is delicious.
Now...chickens! Those are the most versatile, worthwhile critter to raise, IMHO. And no milking chores! I used to have a flock of 50 & sold eggs to the locals. Beau is building me a secure chicken coop someday soon; our old barn isn’t secure enough. The barn is also being replaced. Happy, Happy! :)
I love goats. Of course, I love animals in general, but goats are high up on my list of favorites.
Rabbits too! I have a number of wild rabbits in my yard, a couple I can identify And have been here for 3 or 4 years now. When I go outside they stopped eating and become still, I talk to them nicely, coo at them somewhat, and then while I’m still present they bow their heads and continue feeding. So, it’s either they don’t mind the presence of a non-threatening being or they completely submit to being the prey.
Goats are smart...when the twins (a billy and a female) were a few days old, young billy would feed on the easy teat..leaving his sister hungry...so Mumma would grab him by the ear and send him round to the other teat.
Goats are smart...we had a billy goat for a couple of years that knew how to undo a rope with his horn, also liked to catch your wrist between his horns (goat horns are triangular with sharp inner edges).
Goats are smart...like to eat pine needles and twigs, also nibble on pine bark.
Could be the reason their cholesterol is low...as Cholestoff is made from pine bark.
Good to know!
LOL, sick but hilarious all at once.
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