Posted on 02/28/2005 8:03:26 AM PST by yankeedame
Cows hold grudges, say scientists
By Jonathan Leake
February 28, 2005
ONCE they were a byword for mindless docility. But cows have a complex mental life in which they bear grudges, nurture friendships and become excited by intellectual challenges, researchers have found.
Cows are capable of strong emotions such as pain, fear and even anxiety about the future. But if farmers provide the right conditions, they can also feel great happiness.
The findings have emerged from studies of farm animals that have found similar traits in pigs, goats and chickens. They suggest such animals may be so emotionally similar to humans that welfare laws need to be reconsidered.
The research will be presented to a conference in London next month sponsored by animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming.
Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Britain's Bristol University, said even chickens might have to be treated as individuals with needs and problems.
"Remarkable cognitive abilities and cultural innovations have been revealed," she said. "Our challenge is to teach others that every animal we intend to eat or use is a complex individual, and to adjust our farming culture accordingly."
Her colleague John Webster added: "People have assumed intelligence is linked to the ability to suffer, and that because animals have smaller brains they suffer less than humans. That is a pathetic piece of logic."
The Bristol researchers have documented how cows within a herd form friendship groups of between two and four animals with whom they spend most of their time, often grooming and licking each other. They will also dislike other cows, and can bear grudges for months or years.
Donald Broom, professor of animal welfare at Cambridge University, will tell the conference how cows can become excited by solving intellectual challenges.
In one study, researchers challenged the animals with a task where they had to find how to open a door to get some food. An electroencephalograph was used to measure their brainwaves.
"The brainwaves showed their excitement; their heartbeat went up and some even jumped into the air. We called it their Eureka moment," Professor Broom said.
The assumption that farm animals cannot suffer from conditions that would be intolerable for humans is partly based on the idea they have no sense of self. Latest research suggests this is untrue.
"Sentient animals have the capacity to experience pleasure and are motivated to seek it," Professor Webster said.
"You only have to watch how cows and lambs both seek and enjoy pleasure when they lie with their heads raised to the sun on a perfect English summer's day. Just like humans."
So NOW we know the reasons for those awful NAG HAG faces! (No Helen Thomas pics, please!)
I can see llamas, cows, goats, and pigs..........but chickens???????? they've GOT to be kidding?
which reminds me, I need to pull some emotionally distraught chicken out of the freezer for dinner...........cluckle, cluckle.
You beat me to it. The guy should be forced to marry the cow he had sex with after all trifling with the emotions of a cow is serious business.
All kidding aside this guy is no sicker than any fruit who want sex with the same gender.
If anyone saw "Little Yellow Jacket " 3 time bucking bull of the year yesterday, being ridden for 8 seconds on the Pro Bull Riders tour, they would see this in action. Usually when he bucks off the rider he just stops, gives a dismissive look to the poor guy on the ground and then exits the arena. But when he got ridden yesterday he galloped around the arena avoiding efforts to get him to exit, as if to issue a request for a reride. This bull is smart!... and maybe didn't want to go back to face the other bulls?
Naw. The way I see it if God didn't want us to eat animals He wouldn't have given us BBQ sauce.
Boy howdy, I'll say cows hold grudges. It was about 27 years ago, a Friday night. There were 3 of us, a case of Budweiser, a cow pasture and a full moon...
When we start paying for all those pet psychics and grief counselors, the price of chicken will go through the roof. We are entering the era of the eight dollar egg.
Not only do cows hold grudges but don't some folks (in India) believe that cows are our relatives, like dead relatives. Instead of going home to heaven to be with God, you become a cow. That's what may be behind this "cow's got feelings" stuff, they don't want us eating their dead relatives. It just might become part of someone's new tolerance bill somewhere on this crazy mixed up global planet, The "Don't Eat The Relatives Initiative" or something, all for world peace of course.
Well, maybe not chickens.
They DO panic just fine, though.
Herre's a dumb joke.
Once upon a time a single man bought a parrot for company.
Unfortunantly for him, this particular parrot was simply MEAN. It bit if he tried to work with it, it only said swear-words, and it sqwacked in an ear-shattering tone through-out the night.
At the end of week 3, our Hero's nerves were shot.
When the parrot bit him as he was trying to clean it's cage, the man lost his temper, grabbed the bird and shoved it into the fridge.
The man poured himself a drink and tried to calm down.
Then he bagan to feel guilty. After all, the parrot was only a dumb animal, and the man was not abusive by nature.
He decided to get the parrot out of the fridge.
The man opens the fridge and there is the parrot, standing at attention.
The parrot says in a sincere and humble tone, "Sir, i would like to apologise for my offensive behavior. I promise I will never, ever bite you, nor swear at you nor keep you up all night EVER again! I have only one question! What did the chicken DO?"
Be careful.
The hot-dogs are looking shifty and disgruntled!
:-)
Hi Esther Ruth.
Haven't talked to you in ages.
I think animals do have feelings, but I'm a good omnivore, and I like my meat.
I just think that as much as possible, the food we eat should be killed as quickly and cleanly as possible, and then used up as much as possible.
I personally think India is insane for NOT eating the cows. Millions of folks at starvation level in that country, and the cows live better than many of the people.
Besides, since many people in India believe in reincarnation, then beef might be considered a "renewable resource"!
(kidding)
ROFLMPJO!!!!!!!!!!
Evidently that is unacceptable in todays PC climate - so it has been cleaned up.
Jeepers.....the PC'ers are into everything!
So, what do you have to do to piss off a llama? Make a comment about his neck?
Living in cattle country, one behavior I noticed was the "babysitter." One cow will be lying down with several calves while the moms wander off and chew cud or whatever.
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