We at Vulture Central were growing increasingly concerned that funding bodies may have a taken the axe to the kind of cutting-edge research which proved that cows enjoy a bit of girl-on-girl, and that sheep like happy, smiley people and pine for absent friends.
We needn't have worried. A team at Bristol University has proved what bovine aficionados knew all along: that cows have a "complex mental life in which they bear grudges, nurture friendships and become excited by intellectual challenges", news.com.au reports.
What's more, cows are reportedly "capable of strong emotions such as pain, fear and even anxiety about the future" - as are pigs, goats and chickens. Accordingly, Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Britain's Bristol University, warns that "even chickens might have to be treated as individuals with needs and problems". Yes indeed. Needs: chickenfeed. Problems: Chicken Tikka Masala. Enough said.
How, though, can the team demonstrate that cows bear grudges? According to the report, the cattle-worriers "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".
Full Story @ The Register
Seems funding of mindless research is not just a U.S. problem.
Posted by Muddy at March 4, 2005 10:14 AM | TrackBack