BBC
News
Friday, 11 June, 2004
Sheep like smiles
say researchers
Sheep can recognise emotions in facial
expression, not only in their species
but also in humans, researchers say.
Researchers
at Cambridge University have discovered
sheep prefer smiling or relaxed human
faces, over angry or stressed ones.
Neuroscientist
Dr Keith Kendrick and his team believe
the findings may offer insights into
some human conditions.
Three
years ago, the team found sheep could
recognise 50 individual sheep faces
and remember them for two years.
This does open up the possibility that
they have much richer emotional lives
than we would give them credit for
"Sheep are able to recognise
faces that differ by less than 5%
so we thought perhaps they could
recognise emotions which are much
more subtle," Dr Kendrick said.
"It
turns out they can, both human, smiling
versus angry; and sheep, stressed versus
calm."
Scientists
presented the sheep with two doors they
could push open to gain food. On one
would be a picture of a smiling human
or a happy sheep, on the other an angry
human or a stressed out sheep.
"They
vastly preferred to press the smiling
human or the animal that has just had
a meal and is feeling all right with
life," said Dr Kendrick.
Psychiatric
conditions
Dr
Kendrick and his researchers at the
university's Babraham Institute believe
their finding may offer valuable insights
into autism, schizophrenia and a rare
disorder called prosopagnosis which
leaves the sufferer unable to recognise
faces.
But
the research also has wide reaching
implications for animal welfare.
Dr
Kendrick said: "This does open
up the possibility that they have much
richer emotional lives than we would
give them credit for.
"If
sheep, which in terms of domestic animals
tend to be right down the bottom of
the league table for intelligence, can
do this then the likelihood is that
other species can too."
