COWS ARE COOL: LOVE ‘EM!
24.
Study: Cows Excel At Selecting Leaders
Recent studies on leadership in cows and other grazing herbivores suggest that intelligence, inquisitiveness, confidence, experience and good social skills help to determine which animals will become leaders within herds.
The findings suggest that, at least among these animals, individuals are not necessarily “born leaders,” and that bullying, selfishness, size and strength are not recognized as suitable leadership qualities.
Bertrand Dumont, lead author of a recent Applied Animal Behavior Science paper on leadership in a group of grazing cows, explains,“The fact that in groups of animals of different age, leaders are amongst the oldest animals suggests that it’s not innate, but the result of previous experience.” Dumont is a researcher at the national institute of agricultural research in France.
He adds, “Usually leadership and dominance are not correlated. In other words, leaders are not the strongest animals.” Dumont and his team observed a group of 15 two-year-old cows at a farm in France. During the day, the cows were allowed to graze on a rectangular plot of cocksfoot-covered land that was separated from another plot by an alleyway.
Study: Cows Excel At Selecting Leaders
Recent studies on leadership in cows and other grazing herbivores suggest that intelligence, inquisitiveness, confidence, experience and good social skills help to determine which animals will become leaders within herds.
The findings suggest that, at least among these animals, individuals are not necessarily “born leaders,” and that bullying, selfishness, size and strength are not recognized as suitable leadership qualities.
Bertrand Dumont, lead author of a recent Applied Animal Behavior Science paper on leadership in a group of grazing cows, explains,“The fact that in groups of animals of different age, leaders are amongst the oldest animals suggests that it’s not innate, but the result of previous experience.” Dumont is a researcher at the national institute of agricultural research in France.
He adds, “Usually leadership and dominance are not correlated. In other words, leaders are not the strongest animals.” Dumont and his team observed a group of 15 two-year-old cows at a farm in France. During the day, the cows were allowed to graze on a rectangular plot of cocksfoot-covered land that was separated from another plot by an alleyway.
I think people should stop harming cows because eating a cow would be like eating you and wearing a cows fur would be like wearing you. They are not a part of the food group/chain. ~Taylor M. Scott
This second plot was planted with patches of ryegrass, which the cows particularly like to eat.
Whenever the herd was allowed access to this new feeding site, cow #7 usually was the first to investigate. When she was with the herd and then moved toward the new food site again, the other cows appeared to acknowledge her judgment and followed behind her in distinct social groupings of three or so cows.
This shows that affinities probably exist between particular animals, and that #7 might have had past success at leading the herd to new food sites. It’s adaptive to the animals to follow successful leaders, as this will improve their own food research success.
The researchers could not detect any obvious signaling by #7 before the rest of the herd followed her lead. Prior studies indicate bovines actually vote on which direction the herd should take by communicating with each other via body language.
Derek Bailey, associate professor of animal and range sciences at New Mexico State University, explains that the bovines orient their bodies toward the desired direction of movement. The bovines then go where the most animals are pointed.
Whenever the herd was allowed access to this new feeding site, cow #7 usually was the first to investigate. When she was with the herd and then moved toward the new food site again, the other cows appeared to acknowledge her judgment and followed behind her in distinct social groupings of three or so cows.
This shows that affinities probably exist between particular animals, and that #7 might have had past success at leading the herd to new food sites. It’s adaptive to the animals to follow successful leaders, as this will improve their own food research success.
The researchers could not detect any obvious signaling by #7 before the rest of the herd followed her lead. Prior studies indicate bovines actually vote on which direction the herd should take by communicating with each other via body language.
Derek Bailey, associate professor of animal and range sciences at New Mexico State University, explains that the bovines orient their bodies toward the desired direction of movement. The bovines then go where the most animals are pointed.
Bailey, who agrees with Dumont’s observation that leaders are individuals that other animals follow to a food source, has conducted similar research on cattle in Montana.
Bravo! I thought that when I was a teenager writing essays for school about my pet cows (I raised 2 calves as a project) I was alone in ascribing thoughts and feelings to them but now about 60 years later I feel vindicated! Thanks.
Marie Morgan, Tucson, Arizona, USA
“One cow in particular — her identification number was 2232 — was always in front of the herd, always one of the first three animals,” Bailey says. “We used this cow to help us move less cooperative animals out of pastures.”
He thinks cows that convey a sense of purpose and confidence often become leaders. Cows, unlike humans, are not subject to false bravado, so usually cattle confidence is founded on intelligence. Purposeful movement may result from knowledge of a good location to forage and as a result, may be a signal to other animals.
In future, Dumont and his colleagues hope to determine what specific movements, or other tactics, bovine leaders might use before instigating group movement.
By Jennifer Viegas, Animal Planet News
He thinks cows that convey a sense of purpose and confidence often become leaders. Cows, unlike humans, are not subject to false bravado, so usually cattle confidence is founded on intelligence. Purposeful movement may result from knowledge of a good location to forage and as a result, may be a signal to other animals.
In future, Dumont and his colleagues hope to determine what specific movements, or other tactics, bovine leaders might use before instigating group movement.
By Jennifer Viegas, Animal Planet News
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Of all kinds of animal killing, the killing of cows is most vicious because the cow gives us all kinds of pleasure by supplying milk. Cow slaughter is an act of the grossest type of ignorance. In the Vedic literature (Rg Veda 9.46.4) the words gobhih prinita-matsaram indicate that one who, being fully satisfied by milk, is desirous of killing the cow is in the grossest ignorance. |
