Commentary
Ignoring livestock has been a “missed opportunity” by the scientific community, according to Christopher Krupenye, PhD. Krupenye seems unfamiliar with the special connections made with the animals of 4-Hers and livestock show enthusiasts.
In an article covering scientists who are probing the mental and emotional lives of animals we’ve lived with for thousands of years, David Grimm shares we have no cognitive perspective on their minds . . . or maybe we just didn’t want to.
New research is revealing surprising complexity in the minds of goats, pigs, and other livestock . . . Different species play by different rules. We have to see the world not just how we see it, but how they do.”
Source: Science, December 7, 2023. Link.
INSIGHTS: There will likely be positive and negative outcomes from this research as it continues. Keeping track of the discoveries and avoiding excessive anthropomorphism will be important to food production, animal stewardship and public relations moving forward.