intelligence and emotion in farm animals

This week the UK had another great article on animal intelligence and emotion, this time in The Guardian. It is headed "More than meats the eye." (March 17, Science, Page 4.)

Laura Spinney writes that "ideas about animals" where they are "judged as lacking awareness of their own internal states and relationships to others" arguably "are what until recently gave people licence to carry out cruel animal experiments and to farm animals in conditions that, applied to humans, would be called torture. But new research suggests that animals have far more complex cognitive and social skills than we gave them credit for. "

She discusses studies showing that sheep and cows recognize familiar faces and pigs learn to avoid pens where they have previously been locked in. We read that "the evidence that they are capable of learning associations suggests brains that are, at the very least, aware of what has happened in the past and of acting on it in future."

We read:
"Since 1997, European law has recognised that animals are sentient. That is, that they can be aware of their surroundings, of their own bodily sensations including pain, cold, hunger, and of their relationships with other animals, including humans. A sentient animal is not necessarily intelligent, or capable of learning or understanding, but it can suffer in ways that are not purely physical - for example, by being prevented from following its natural instincts. So that change in the law marked a significant shift from earlier attitudes towards animals, which defined cruelty in strictly physical terms. And it is unique. Sentience is not enshrined in US law - yet."

The article draws parallels between "he status of children and animals" with "both having been regarded at one time as the property of their parents and owners respectively." It also discusses the work of lawyer and author Steven Wise (whose new book, on slavery, is "Though the Heavens May Fall"). And it covers some strange historical trials in which non human animals were tried and executed for various crimes.

You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,,1438864,00.html

It presents a great opportunity for pro-veggie or anti-vivisection letters to the editor. The Guardian takes letters at: letters [at] guardian.co.uk and advises "We do not publish letters where only an email address is supplied; please include a full postal address and a reference to the relevant article. If you do not want your email address published, please say so. We may edit letters."

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)