Chickens feel empathy, study says: Does that change your dinner plans?
This week, another piece of scientific evidence hits the human ego. Apparently, we're not as emotionally superior as originally thought. Empathy, the ability to mirror another creature's emotions, was once considered a uniquely human characteristic. Now it is a province shared with birds.
Science can lag so far behind intuition. Anyone who has had a terrier loll beside her on a sick day will tell you that an animal can mirror your mood. Must we always wait for the empiric evidence to roll in?
In the study reported in the Telegraph, scientists studied chickens and their chicks-because empathy is thought to have evolved from the biological need to protect offspring. Scientists used air puffs to ruffle the feathers of chicks, and observed the responses of their mothers. They also used the air puff on chickens, and observed their chicks.
"When chicks were exposed to puffs of air, they showed signs of distress that were mirrored by their mothers. The hens' heart rate increased, their eye temperature lowered-a recognised stress sign-and they became increasingly alert. Levels of preening were reduced, and the hens made more clucking noises directed at their chicks," reports the Telegraph. The experiment proved that hens exhibited signs of empathy towards their chicks. The chicks exhibited fewer signs, although the scientists noted some "distress vocalizations."
Researcher Jo Edgar, from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, told the Telegraph that the study is ''of high relevance to the welfare of farm and laboratory animals," which are constantly exposed to other animals in distress.
We are continually caught between our enjoyment of meat and our own sense of empathy for the animals we eat. As non-mammals, birds and fish are often considered by semi-vegetarians to be acceptable food sources. These furless animals can seem less warm, or sentient, than mammals, and therefore people often have less guilt about eating them. This flimsy argument just got tissue thin. Why would debates over vegetarianism be so heated if not for our carnivorous guilt fueling the fire? My expectation, is that all us carnivores have built such a complex defense structure against this guilt, that this study will only effect people already wavering on the fence, vulnerable to a faddish breeze, or to a single scientific study.
Carnivores, does this finding effect your dinner or your sense of guilt over it?
More to check out:
Gluten-free? Flexitarian? A guide through the world of eating restrictions
5 foods to give up for Lent (and how to do it)
Meatless meals in minutes
