Wednesday, August 10, 2005
You thought they were just chewing their cud, hanging out there on the side of the hill.
cows have a secret mental life in which they bear grudges, nurture friendships and become excited over intellectual challenges, scientists have found. Cows are also capable of feeling strong emotions such as pain, fear and even anxiety — they worry about the future....All right, anthropomorphizing farm animals up to a point (somewhere short of they're being 'gay nymphomaniacs', I'd think) to maintain decent compassion for all God's creatures is one thing ... but where may this lead us?
Dairy cow herds can also be intensely sexual.
"Cows look calm, but really they are gay nymphomaniacs," [says] John Webster, professor of animal husbandry at Bristol...
Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Bristol University, said even chickens may have to be treated as individuals with needs and problems. [TimesUK]Come that day, the resident psychiatrist at Purdue farms will have a very busy practice, no doubt.
