Goats can find food by following a human voice, study finds
Researchers find that goats can locate hidden food by following the direction of a human voice, similar to dogs and young children.
A new study reveals that goats, like dogs and young children, are capable of using human vocal cues to find food. Researchers from the University of Zürich found that goats can follow the direction of a voice to locate a treat, even when the speaker is hidden.
In the experiment, two buckets were placed on either side of a wooden screen. Goats were familiarized with the setup by being called by name from behind the screen and seeing food placed in one bucket. During tests, a researcher hid behind the screen, placed pasta in one bucket, and then either spoke excitedly toward the baited bucket, remained silent, or spoke while facing away from both buckets. A second researcher then released a goat, and its choice was recorded.
Averaged results from 29 goats, each tested 12 times, showed that the animals moved toward the baited bucket 60% of the time when the researcher spoke in its direction. When the researcher was silent or spoke away from the buckets, success rates were 47% and 49%, respectively — no better than chance.
The team suggests this is a vocal form of pointing, and that goats can do this without training. The findings may shed light on cognitive changes during domestication and improve understanding of animal welfare. Previous studies had already shown goats can follow pointing gestures, distinguish emotions in human voices, and prefer positive facial expressions.
The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
