animals’ experience of pain
There is no reason that mammals should
experience pain differently to humans;
they have similar nervous systems, brains
and senses. It is just convenient for us to
believe that they don’t. Animals don’t have
the extra knowledge that we have, that is
all. They can sometimes even smell when
others are in pain, and recognise pain in the
cries of others, which makes them anxious.
These studies are important for farmers,
not only because we have evolved as meat-
eaters. Other animals also eat meat; it is
natural. But other hunters don’t keep their
prey in small cages without sunshine. And
other prey animals live a full social life in
a stimulating natural environment. What
is certainly cruel is to shut animals off
from this, especially if we know better.
Today’s consumers are becoming more
aware of animal cognition, and those
who can afford to choose what they eat
will do so. For some, this awareness leads
to their adopting a vegetarian or vegan
lifestyle. This is why it has become so
important for farmers to pay attention to
the quality of life of animals under their
care, even though those same
animals are destined to become our
prey. – Roelof Bezuidenhout ▪FWthat makes the potential for communicating
knowledge endless. Animals are not that
sophisticated. But if a bee’s dance can
lead other bees directly to the sweetest
nectar, conveying information on distance,
quantity and even what angle to fly at,
then we cannot simply presume that
communication is only for humans.
There is plenty of evidence that animals
understand each other, or even other
species. Fork-tailed drongos, for example,
give alarm calls that meerkats understand.
Usually, the meerkats run away when
they hear this call. But the drongos have
learnt to give the alarm call as a false
alarm when there is no danger, causing
the meerkats to leave behind uneaten
food that the birds can then feed on.
Animals don’t only have the ability
to learn their owners’ habits, but can
predict their behaviour and patterns,
such as when they usually arrive home.
Dogs can read facial expressions well,
even when they can see only the eyes.
If a monkey feels it is part of a troop,
it will try to fit in as far as possible.
Humans do the same; they
develop behaviour that mirrors that
of the group because they want to
fit in, even if subconsciously.
9 august 2019 farmer’sweekly 7