Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Rescue Me: New Study Finds Animals Do Recover from Neglect

Scientists at Queen Mary University in London have found that animal sanctuaries can help animals recover from neglect. They gathered 18 goats; half had lived in poor conditions such as lack of food and shelter, while the other half had lived in generally good conditions. They designed a test that gave these goats the opportunity to look for food. This showed the link between the goats' mental health and how their living conditions affected it. In general, an animal's mood influences their outlook on life. If they are in a good mood they will have an optimistic outlook on life, and if they are in a bad mood they will have a pessimistic outlook on life. Surprisingly the female goats that had been mistreated were the most optimistic to find food during the test. They performed better than the well treated females and all of the males. This shows that females may be better at recovering from neglect and mistreatment. These discoveries can help to tailor programs to best fit each gender in either situation.

 
Themes of Nature of Science
1. Science is collaborative.
2. Science is based on evidence.
4. Role of credibility.
10. Role of motivation and curiosity.



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