Chickens capable of empathy
Chickens are the most mistreated animals in the meat industry. Most chickens in the commercial farm have a life span of 6 weeks before being sent for slaughter, and their living conditions would be considered unacceptable for any being. If left in the wild, chickens can live for 5 to 10 years (depending on the breed).
The article below was shared on Facebook by my student and liaison, Sharon Saw.
It is great that the sufferings of these animals can be proven scientifically, allowing more people to realize that animals too have feelings… just like us. Hopefully, with findings such as this, cruelty towards animals will no longer be taken lightly.
Tsem Rinpoche
Chickens are capable of feeling empathy, scientists believe
Domestic chickens display signs of empathy, the ability to “feel another’s pain” that is at the heart of compassion, a study has found. The discovery has important implications for the welfare of farm and laboratory animals, say researchers.
Empathy, long thought to be a defining human trait, causes one individual to be affected by the emotional state of another. Feelings are “mirrored” in the observer, leading to a shared experience of being happy, sad or distressed.
The research demonstrated that hens possess a fundamental capacity to empathise, at least with their own chicks.
Scientists chose hens and chicks for the study because it is thought empathy probably evolved to aid parental care. A number of controlled procedures were carried out which involved ruffling the feathers of chicks and mother hens with an air puff.
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.
Researcher Jo Edgar, from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, said: “The extent to which animals are affected by the distress of others is of high relevance to the welfare of farm and laboratory animals.
“Our research has addressed the fundamental question of whether birds have the capacity to show empathic responses.
“We found that adult female birds possess at least one of the essential underpinning attributes of ’empathy’, the ability to be affected by, and share, the emotional state of another.”
The findings were reported online in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Under commercial conditions, chickens regularly encounter other birds showing signs of pain and distress “owing to routine husbandry practices or because of the high prevalence of conditions such as bone fractures or leg disorders”, said the researchers.
The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council’s Animal Welfare Initiative.
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https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/chickens-can-emphatize.mp4
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8370301/Chickens-are-capable-of-feeling-empathy-scientists-believe.html
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Animals definitely have feelings and emotions. If they don’t why do they care for their offsprings? Why would they protect their families when they are threatened? We don’t want sufferings, animals don’t want that either. The only difference is animals don’t speak our language and they cannot express themselves like how we express ourselves.
There are dogs that can care for babies or comfort their owners when their owners are down. There are also cases where animals show sadness when their owners pass away. Therefore, I am not not surprised chickens is capable of empathy. Since animals have can feel and have emotions, we have to stop perceive and use them as an object. Give them the freedom and love they deserve.
Animals definitely have feeling and can feel pain just like human. But because human’s consumption is so high many chicken do not have long life and has to endure so much suffering and to be killed. Human should stop eating meat to stop the further killing on animals.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. Yes, I guess if such research is being done on animals and can prove to humans that animals have feeling of empathy too, then more and more humans will stop killing and eating them.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Dear Rinpoche, I think the scientist should stop these kinds of experiments. Although I love to learn animal body parts but I choose to stop this. Because when they are experimenting the animals the still kill them. The people who watches earthlings will know. Why can’t animals be wild like a few million years ago?
I believe that every being has emotions. It is just that if we do know about them or not. Emotions are something that is very difficult to be hidden. This is especially so for the animals.
Just imagine that we are in their shoes. How would we feel? We would feel the same fear, pain, empthay, and all the different emotions. As humans we are able to voice out to our emotions, but for the animals, they are not able. So why should we even mistreat them in ways that we do.
If consuming dog meat or dolphin meat or even whale meat is something that one shunts, then why do they not have the same type of feelings towards the other animals like chicken, pigs, cows, etc as well? It is just because we do not relate to them that is why we cannot feel that pain? It is just ridiculous. We should all care for all beings in this world, not only for those that we can relate better to.
[…] years ago, I blogged about how scientists discovered that chickens are capable of empathy… yet, today, it still remains that chickens are the most mistreated animals in the meat […]
I wish that chickens would not be treated this way. And yes, they are the worst treated animals in the world. I can’t imagine living for only 6 weeks of pain and suffering while people are stuffing food into me so that i can become fat and have more meat. All this pain, suffering and trouble, just so that people can have a meal. People do not need to kill for a meal. The can be vegetarian. And in fact, becoming a vegetarian is actually more healthy. Thank you for sharing This Rinpoche.
If we choose to find out about how much animals can feel i believe much more people will switch to be vegetarians. Chicken meat does not come from a supermarket, a chicken had to be grown and killed before it becomes packaged nicely for our consumption.
When we contemplate on the universal law of cause and effect, we naturally have to respect all lives, human and animals included. Mistreating, causing suffering and harming other living beings will only cause these negative actions to ripen upon ourselves.
Contrary to the public’s belief, chickens are not mindless living beings. This article shows that they are even capable of showing empathy which some humans are not capable of. So instead of creating distress in their lives by farming them for our sustenance, we should think again.
Eating meat is only a habit. We can still live a healthy life being vegetarian. Millions of people vegetarian. So why can’t we? Don’t we all want a more loving and caring society? Then why do we inflict pain and distress to other living beings?
Even chickens capable of empathy, it shows how insensitive we human are.
We have been focusing on ourselves, chasing for money, luxurious life etc…until a point that we have neglected the people and beings surrounding us, and we become a very cold person.
I used to like chicken wings a lot, when I started to be vegetarian i visualize the chicken wings is my mum’s hands, and it turn me off immediately… I’m happy to be vegetarian.
I believe that as long as the subject is a living being THAT has a mind, a conscious, that being can feel anything that we humans feel too.
As Rinpoche has pointed out, no one wants to suffer, feel pain or be killed; I am sure you and I, if put in the shoes of a chicken, a cow, a pig, would feel extremely scared, worried, terrified and in excruciating pain (both physical and mental) as well. Whatever we feel if put in the situation of an animal in a slaughterhouse, they feel too.
Think about it, why are animals considered “lesser” than humans? Because they cannot communicate with us? Because they run slower than us, some have 4 legs, because they cannot kill humans hence not at the top of the food chain? NO, cannot be.
Since Buddha is extremely compassionate and has a kindness that pervades throughout ALL beings, shouldn’t we show the same since an enlighted being has proven that it works? Since we have the Buddha nature in us, aren’t we all capable of achieving the same qualities that of a Buddha? Why be selective, when selectivity, discrimination, and perceptions all arise only in our minds?
Anyways, I used to not think about the meals that I eat.. steak steak lah, chicken chop then chicken chop lah. But now, I think about the suffering, both for the animals and myself, because karma is creating suffering.
Chicken is such a common meat product that hardly anyone realises how much they have to go through so that we can have our scrambled eggs for breakfast or chicken pie for lunch. I watched a hidden camera video of KFC chickens being abused and brutalised for sport, and have not eaten any KFC since. The same applies to other chicken products of course.
Having read this article, I am even more disturbed now, as being a vegetarian, I consume quite a lot of eggs, and I realise that my egg came from a source of pain and discomfort. It is not easy to find free range and organic eggs where I live, but I will try to consume less eggs now, and look for a more humane source of eggs.
i hope ppl who love to eat KFC read this article so that they will think twice when they going to eat Chicken next time.
lot of people have wrong view that animals born to be food for human so they don’t feel anything wrong to do that.
Again, even after they know doesnt mean they will stop to eat.. unless they realize that they are cruel and hurt other being.
Dear Lama
I have this article translated to be uploaded in lamatsongkhapa.com – from Rinpoche’s blog – animal & vegetarianism section
Warm regards
Valentina
No one wants to suffer. No one wants to feel pain. No one wishes to die. To make others suffer, feel pain and killing them will invite the same. Karma is blind to race, creed, religion, background, beliefs and understanding. It is universal. Never harm anyone or anything. Karma is ever recording our deeds. Tsem Rinpoche