We have quoted broadcaster and farmer John Humphrys before but his remark is well worth repeating because this clip shows you exactly what he’s talking about:
“They tear about the field, kicking their legs into the air …For six months they have lived in sheds, slept in stalls, stood on concrete. Now, once again, they have the grass beneath their feet. They seem, quite literally, to be full of the joy of spring. It lifts the spirits to watch them.”

Animal welfare is a crucial issue because sentient animals are capable of experiencing emotions such as fear, pain, joy and contentment.  

Some animal scientists specialise in investigating the range of emotions that animals can feel. The findings can help support campaigns to give sentient animals the recognition that they deserve. 

Until relatively recently, some scientists thought it was impossible to scientifically study animal emotion, and anyone who did so was thought to be wrongly attributing human thoughts  and feelings to animals (anthropomorphism).  Recently scientists like Franz de Waal have paved the way for the study of animal emotion. They think it is important to acknowledge the similarities between humans and other animals.  

Researchers borrowed techniques used in human psychology to study the emotions of sheep. Generally, we think we can tell what a human is feeling from the expression on their face – researchers therefore looked for similar clues in the position of the sheep’s ears. 

Surprises, boredom and predictability all affected the ears positions of the sheep. If the sheep had certain expectations of what was going to happen next, or a sense of control over the situation, this could affect their reactions. They were found to experience fear, anger, rage, despair, boredom, disgust and happiness.

This is very similar to humans, and the researchers believe it’s safe to assume that sheep do not only show emotions but also ‘feel’ them too.   

Source

Veissier, I., Boissy, A., Desire, L., Greiveldinger, L. (2009) Animals’ emotions: studies in sheep using appraisal theories. Animal Welfare: 18, pp 347-354.

The humpback whale was on the migratory route around the California coast when she became terribly entangled in crab trap lines. Her life was at great risk.
She was tangled up in weighted ropes up to 240 feet long around her tail, her flipper and even in her mouth. The ropes were so tight they cut into her blubber and caused visible wounds. She was completely helpless  and the weight of the traps was causing her to struggle to keep her blow hole out of the sea.

A rescue team of divers went out to her but she was in such a state  they were  unsure that they stood any chance of saving her. They were at risk themselves, as the flick of a humpback’s tail can kill a human.

But they reported that as they worked to free the unfortunate creature, she did not struggle at all and they were aware of her eyes simply following them around as they worked.

Thankfully, the rescuers were successful but must have been astonished by the whale’s heartwarming response. When she felt herself come free, she began to swim around in circles and then went up to each diver one by one and nudged them. One of the rescuers is reported as saying: “It seemed kind of affectionate, like a dog that’s happy to see you … I never felt threatened. It was an amazing, unbelievable experience.”

Her response makes us think about the common ground that humans can have with animals who might appear so very different from us. A whale-watching expert who helped co-ordinate the rescue is quoted as saying: “You hate to anthropomorphize too much  but the whale was doing little dives and the guys were rubbing shoulders with it … I don’t know for sure what it was thinking, but it’s something that I will always remember. It was just too cool.”

An interesting point about our understanding of these large sea mammals was made by Gould and Gould in their book ‘The Animal Mind’. They suggest that perhaps we have been quicker to appreciate the intelligence and sentience of primates as they are so much more similar to us in their gestures and experiences, and therefore easier for us to read. We may have been slower to understand the complexity and richness of underwater creatures simply because they appear to be so very different to us.

Humpback Whale

Sources:
San Francisco Chronice (14/12/05). Daring rescue of whale off Farallones. Accessed 17/12/09.

Gould, J. L. and Gould, C. G. (1994) The Animal Mind. Scientific American Library, New York.

The Daily Mail reports that Bonnie leads Clyde “to food or water, and lets him rest his head on her haunches when he feels a bit lost. They are inseparable, and if Bonnie isn’t nearby Clyde refuses to move a paw.”

Bonnie and Clyde were rescued as strays recently. It appears they were lost in a storm and no-one has come forward for them. Obviously these two have a vital bond and they must be rehomed together.

Floss then spent the next nine months fending for herself. She hid during the day and looked for food at night, searching rubbish dumps and finding occasional hay supplies.

It is reported that she did not have an easy time as joyriders and others tried to run her down and shot at her.

Two local women began to help Floss. She was taken food and they raised £500 GBP to buy her from the farmer and took her to Hillside, an animal sanctuary.

One of her rescuers said: “Floss trotted off the back of the trailer and it was the most wonderful thing. She really deserves it. For an animal to look after herself all that time she deserves this life.”

Cows and their calves form strong family bonds. Image: Compassion/Martin Usborne

Santino, a chimp who is in a zoo in Sweden, has attracted huge media interest by his planning  for the future. Chimps in zoos are known for throwing stones at visitors. But Santino has been searching his enclosure for stones and loose concrete. He has been both storing these up, and making discs out of concrete, to later throw at visitors to the zoo during what are called “dominance displays” (perhaps when he is stressed or fed up at being stared at).

Santino - a very clever chimp

The signs are, then, that chimps can plan for the future. Previously scientists had thought only humans were capable of planning ahead in this way, but based on these kinds of observations, it is likely that other animals can too. Dr Osvath, Santino’s researcher, is reported as saying: “I bet there must be a lot of these kinds of behaviours out there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we find them in dolphins or other species.”

What’s more, planning is not the end of Santino’s abilities, as the article tells us:

“Most interestingly, Santino seems to have learned how to spot weak parts of the concrete “boulders” in the centre of the enclosure. When water seeps into cracks in the concrete and freezes, portions become detached that make a hollow sound when tapped. Santino was observed gently knocking on the “boulders”, hitting harder to detach bits that were loosened and adding those to his stashes of ammunition.”

You can see Santino on the film clip below. Lives of Animals.org has some concerns with this clip. Firstly, it is entitled “Naughty chimp’s human ways”, when Santino is not “naughty”. The report says that if he carries on his “naughty ways”, staff will keep him indoors. Santino already has a far from natural life and it’s important to seek a better answer such as enriching his environment, rather than restricting it further.

Zoo staff are said to be calling Santino "The Thinker."

Animals are capable of experiencing a rich quality of life and Santino’s story shows us how clever they can be. In our treatment of animals, we need to pay attention to their quality of life.

Source of story: BBC News

Dr Keith Kendrick at Cambridge also found that sheep prefer pictures of contented sheep and smiling humans, rather than stressed sheep and angry humans. He said that sheep “may have much richer emotional lives than we would give them credit for.”

Company is important for sheep. Image: Compassion/Martin Usborne

Amy Hatkoff  has backed up these stories with short passages based on the work of leading animal welfare scientists such as Professors Marian Dawkins and Mike Mendl, showing the unexpected intelligence of farm animals, such as long-term recognition of missing comrades, delight upon discovering a new technique, and ability to operate a computer game.

Compassion in World Farming highly recommends this book. It would make a lovely gift for a forthcoming birthday or seasonal celebration. We can guarantee that any animal-loving friend will delight in this book. We can nearly guarantee that the sceptic will have their eyes opened! Amy Hatkoff has done the animals a real service.

The Inner World of Farm Animals: Their Amazing Social, Emotional and Intellectual Capacities
By Amy Hatkoff
Published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang (New York), 2009
UK Distributors: ABRAMS/STC Tel: 0207 713 2066
£10.99 (UK), $19.95 (US)

This sow and her piglets benefit from better animal welfare conditions. Image: Compassion/Martin Usborne

 
Animals reared in more interesting, ‘enriched’ conditions are more settled and confident with their companions, and female animals seem to take more easily to rearing their young (when given the opportunity). For example, piglets who lived in outdoor enclosures before and after forced weaning had fewer problems than piglets in barren indoor conditions. 

Young piglets need their mum

In intensive farming piglets are removed from their mother between 2-4 weeks of age.  At this age they are still dependent on her for feeding, mothering and protection. A more natural weaning age would be 3-4 months. 

The younger the piglets are when they are removed from their mothers, the more they squeal for her, try to jump out of the pen and rub their noses against the bellies of their companions, which can cause injuries. The piglets are probably looking for their mother’s udder or to gain physical contact with her. 

This frantic behaviour is not seen in 8-week-old piglets in a semi-natural environment, but is commonly seen in commercial farms world-wide. 

Dairy calves

Dairy calves in commercial farms are usually separated from their mother at only a few hours old, but natural weaning would take place at 9-11 months old. Often a cow whose calf has been taken away will walk up and down in an agitated way, calling out and apparently looking for her calf. Calves too often appear distressed at this time.

Researchers also looked at the long-term effects on the calf of separation in this way.

If calves are removed from their mother as new-borns, they may not call out for her so much, but their health and long-term development can be affected. If they are taken away from their mother after a longer time spent with her, they may be more distressed at the time, but their long-term development may be better and they may have more confidence to cope with new situations.

The vital bond between mother and young. Image: Compassion/Karen Playford

Because farm animals are sentient beings, how they are treated is of vital importance to them.

Animals who are afraid of humans because they have been treated roughly or unkindly may be more stressed and suffer health and welfare problems.

Kind treatment is more likely to mean happy and well-cared-for cows. Now researchers have found that cows whose farmers talk to them by name are,  perhaps unsurprisingly, more relaxed.

You can see the clip about the cows here.

Talking about dairy cows let out from the winter sheds into the great outdoors, John Humphrys says:
“They tear about the field, kicking their legs into the air …For six months they have lived in sheds, slept in stalls, stood on concrete. Now, once again, they have the grass beneath their feet. They seem, quite literally, to be full of the joy of spring. It lifts the spirits to watch them.”