Sheep like smiles say researchers

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/3796017.stm

 

Sheep like smiles say researchers

 

The researchers found sheep prefer smiling faces

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

 

Dr Keith Kendrick

" 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. "