A recent report on sheep behavior dispels many of the common cultural myths that have clouded our understanding of this species for centuries.
Farm Animal Intelligence
New Research Shines Light on the Complex Social World and Individuality of Sheep
Funny Animal Videos: Why Balancing Goats and Jazz Loving Cows Go Viral
It seems we can’t get enough of funny animal videos. Indeed, it would be difficult to calculate the collective hours of our lives lost to (enriched by?) footage of cats READ ON
Are Pigs as Smart as Dogs and Does It Really Matter?
Some people claim that supposedly smarter animals suffer more than supposedly dumber animals and that it’s okay to use the dumber individuals in all sorts of invasive and abusive ways. READ ON
Why Fish Can No Longer Escape Our Conscience
Pescetarians—those who eschew eating all animals with the notable exceptional of fish—are commonly viewed as having fashioned diets that are more ethically focused than opportunistic omnivores. But could it be READ ON
The Sheep Who Jumps for Joy: On the Will to Live in All Animals
Like the will to live, the ability to experience pleasure is also not unique to humans. Animals exploited for food also seek pleasure, from chickens who purr, to sheep who READ ON
How the Intelligent Hen Study Fails Chickens
There’s a lot of buzz in the animal protection movement about a new chicken intelligence study that, once again, maintains that chickens are even more intelligent than we once thought. READ ON
A Universal Declaration on Animal Sentience: No Pretending
This past weekend during a series of lectures I presented in Germany a number of people asked questions of the sort, “Isn’t it about time we accept that animals are READ ON
Edith’s First Stairs: The Chicken Who Can Climb!
I continually marvel at how chickens observe and sometimes follow what we do. On her third day with me, Edith the Cornish Rock chicken hen who was recently salvaged from READ ON
No Morality = No Rights? The Case of Danita the Chicken
Danita displays a strong interest in protecting her flock. Her actions would seem to reflect that she has a sense of moral duty to her flock. But the way she READ ON
Did You Know that Chickens Purr When They’re Content?
Among the many fascinating discoveries I’ve made in the process of raising a flock of adopted hens is the lovely and soothing sound of a chicken purr. Yes, you heard READ ON
Danita: The Gentle Yet Assertive Alpha Hen
Danita is a gorgeous Black Rock hen with thick and luxurious plumage full of iridescent blues and greens and large, dramatic Cleopatra eyes. She is a gentle and kind alpha READ ON
Moving Beyond the False Stereotypes of Turkeys
To understand the complex suffering of turkeys raised for “food,” it helps to know that in nature, young turkey siblings stay close to their mother for four or five months READ ON
Celebrating Sandye: My Tribute to One Very Unique Hen
Sandye was an exceptionally quiet, stoic and peaceful hen. Her only vocalization was her characteristic soft squeal — a truly unusual and curious sound indeed and actually very pleasing to READ ON
Doris the Hen and the 50-Million-Year-Old Legacy of Motherhood
Lovely and elegant Doris pictured here is one of four adopted hens. She had major surgery over a year ago to save her life. The surgery consisted of removing her READ ON
Seeing through the Speciesist Bias in the Field of Animal Behavior
It seems both silly and unscientific to believe that humans are unique in our capacity to feel and think, as if we didn’t evolve, along with other mammals, to have READ ON
Dutch Study: Dairy Cows Have Individual Personalities
While human behavior studies are generally conducted with the intention of improving human health and well being, van Reenan’s study of dairy cow temperament sets out to understand the specific READ ON
Beyond the Struggle to Survive: The Study of Pleasure in Animals
“Happy, healthy animals are beautiful to behold. They make us smile, and there’s value in that. But pleasure has deeper meaning and significant implications for humankind’s relationship with other animals. READ ON
Groudbreaking Study Shows Rats Express Empathy
In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Chicago show that rats engage in empathy-driven behavior, helping to free a trapped cagemate for no reward other READ ON
Celebrating and Remembering an Adopted Turkey Named Amelia this Thanksgiving
Most people only know turkey from the supermarket shelf tightly wrapped in flashy packaging or sliced into deli meats. Food advertising has completely and deliberately dissociated us from the source READ ON
Non-Human and Human Animals: More Similarities Than Differences
Would it matter if we perceived other species as fundamentally like us instead of fundamentally different, recognizing clear distinctions between our capacities to modify our environment, communicate and learn through READ ON
