Khurana 1

Suraj Khurana
Professor McClure
Writing 39C
2 August 2015
The Emotional World of Factory Cows

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Historically, assessing emotions and consciousness in nonhuman animals has proven to
be an extremely complex debate. Challenging enough to obscure the study on animal welfare,
and ambiguous enough to measure only the surface of animal sentience. Now, with major
advances in cognitive science and comparative psychology, the study on animal sentience has
become much more feasible to evaluate. This literature review will examine various examples
and studies on the emotions of factory cows. I will start by depicting how cows respond to
stimuli, which will serve as evidence of their emotional state of mind. The next section will
scrutinize how their physiological body helps determine their underlying emotions. Rene
Descartess quote, Animal are like robots, they cannot reason or feel pain, socially constructed
his generation towards animal prejudice; however, after Darwins book, The Expression of
Emotions in Man and Animals, animal sentience gained a new perspective (Bekoff 864).
Studying the emotional lives of cows is a prolonged process with various difficulties; however,
emotional assessment is essential to improve the welfare of animals. The purpose of this review
is to provide examples, demonstrated in a timely manner from the earliest to the most current
research, of cow behavior in order to confirm the assurance that nonhuman animals experience
emotions such as joy, fear, love, despair, and grief. However, before moving onto the body of this
review, I will shadow the definition of emotion conveyed by Marc Bekoff, professor of
ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado. Emotion is a psychological
experience that helps comprehend behavioral management and control (Bekoff 863). Because the
complexity of this definition has been disputed over for many years, knowledge in learning about
animal sentience has shown a lack of progress (Bekoff 864). Bekoff categorizes emotion into
two categories: primary and secondary (863). Primary emotions can be expressed as innate fear
or the flight-or-flight response to stimuli; whereas, secondary emotions can be felt and reflected

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on (Bekoff 863). When studying animal sentience, one must take into consideration that no
single philosophy captures the intricate experience of emotions delineated by these animals.
In 2010, a study conducted by Cecile Bourguet, a scholar in animals welfare, stress, and
emotions, shows that cows are stressfully responsive to the slaughter procedure conducted in
factory farms (Bourguet 10). During the pre-slaughter process, cows were observed as they
watched the slaughter process of other cows (Bourguet 10). The gathered data showed a
positively, strong correlation between post mortem muscle metabolism and the cows emotional
stress reaction during the pre-slaughter process (Bourguet 12). According to Bourguet, the
association between the cows metabolism and stress reaction indicated an increase in heart rate
during the pre-slaughter process, which could also be seen through their behavior and responses
(12). With high heart rates and the incapability to move in their small pen, they showed signs of
uncomfortable movement such as frequently looking down at the ground (Bourguet 13). When
describing the primary emotion, Bekoff stated, Loud raucous sounds, certain odors lead to
inborn avoidance reaction to all such stimuli that indicate danger (Bekoff 865). The visual
graphics perceived and boisterous sounds absorbed by the cow during the pre-slaughter
procedure indicate, as Bekoff mentions, a danger response amongst cows. To better understand
animal emotion, Janice Siegford, professor at the Michigan State University, described the
withdrawal from indifferent stimuli as a measurement of emotional demeanor (Siegford 301).
After being restrained in compact pen, the observation on cows behavioral responses such as
struggling, vocalizing, and defecating indicated that stress initiated negative emotions in cows
(Bourguet 20). Negative stimuli bestowed upon cows through the pre-slaughter process shapes
Bourguets argument that fear, pain, and anxiety is associated with their physical and emotional
stress (18).

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The second method describing the characteristics of emotions can be understood through
a research on the separation of cows and their newborn calves directed by Rolnei Daros, affiliate
of the Animal Welfare Program in British Columbia. This relatively recent research, conducted in
2012, validates the grief and mourning experienced by cows, yet nobody claims grief in
animals to be as intricate as humans (Kluger 59). Twenty-four hours after being born, thirteen
newborn male calves were separated from their mothers, showing signs of emotional grief
between both the mother and the child (Daros 2). Because calves are separated from their
mother, the social bond between them weakens, and the calves are less reliant on their mothers
milk (Daros 4). In fact, Daross experiment revealed certain physiological and behavioral
responses made by both the mother and child after separation, such as urination, exploration,
vocalization, and walking (Daros 3). These distress responses amongst these depressed cows
help Daros validate Bekoffs quote, Grief is the secondary emotion in cows that when triggered
can be long lasting (Bekoff 863). Roger Mullers study on social separation supports this idea as
well. Responses and emotions not only last for a long period, but also affect their attention and
memory (Muller and Schrader 1301).

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Daros argues that cows inherit the ability to understand cause and effect; in fact, after
their calves were taken away, cows were shown to walk for many miles in order to find them (5).
The Face On Your Plate by Jeffrey Masson recognizes that separating the calf from its mother is
the single worst event in the life of a cow, and after Temple Grandin, American professor of
animal science, observed a cow looking impatiently for her calf she quoted, Thats one sad,
unhappy cow, upset cow. Its like grieving, mourningnot much written about (Hartle 3). It is
surprising that cows memories are long lasting because their minds, like us humans, are private
entities, but studying their assessment of emotional behavior has helped Rolnei Daros in this
research to prove that these animals do feel emotional sorrow.
A study, published in 2014, directed by Helen Proctor and Gemma Carder proves that a
cows ear posture can help express its emotional valence (Ear Posture 21). The emotional and
scientific assessments of cows are often questioned, but Proctor and Carders review helps
disprove this social construction. This research is conducted in order to endorse positive
emotional studies of animals; therefore, it is evident that we know what animals feel in order to
stimulate positive emotions in them (Ear Posture 21). Thirteen random cows out of ninety-two
were chosen for a fifteen minute focal observation (Ear Posture 22). Each ear posture was
characterized into four unique categories: upright, forward, backwards, and down (Ear Posture
23). Results showed that the backward and down postured ears reflected a positive emotion
during the stroking stimulus; whereas, upright and forward postures were rarely detected in this
positive experience (Ear Posture 25). This study illustrates that ear postures can provide an
instantaneous assessment on the emotional state of cows and help determine whether the emotions
are ephemeral or long lasting (Ear Posture 26).

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Through Proctors research, it is distinct that observation has become an effective method
to study the emotional mind and cognitive ethology of these animals. Throughout history,
cognitive ethology has played an important role in determining emotion, but sometimes the
simplest way to conduct research is the best way (Bekoff 865). Analyzing a cows anatomical
structure such as their eyes and ears helps demonstration variety of emotional states perceived by
them (Siegford 308).
By observing anatomical body parts on cows, Helen Proctor, an animal sentience
researcher, discovered that visible eye whites in cows are an indication to determine their state of
emotion (Eye Whites 2). Before diving into her experiment, it is essential to address her
purpose for this research. In this experiment, Proctor focuses on positive stimuli to define a
cows positive state of emotion because she tends to improve animal welfare (Eye Whites 2).
Understanding animal welfare has always focused on the negative emotional state of animals;
however, to improve animal welfare, there need to be more studies focusing on the positive
emotions (Eye Whites 4). Because research was currently published in 2015, it is fitting to ask
the following question: Should researchers studying animal sentience start focusing on positive
emotions rather than negative emotions?

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Proctor devised the hypothesis that the percentage of visible eye whites is an effective
assessment of low arousal (Eye Whites 2). The effectiveness of using stroking as a positive
stimulus helps cows reduce fear, heart rate, and cortisol levels (Eye Whites 3). The line graph
below is acquired from Helen Proctors article, Measuring positive emotions in cows: Do
visible eye whites tell us anything, evaluating Proctors results. As Figure 1 specifies, the line
delineates the mean percentage of visible eye whites during the pre-stroking, stroking, and poststroking process (Eye Whites 4).

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Every five minutes cows would be stroked on their neck, forehead, and cheeks at approximately
40-60 strokes per minute (Eye Whites 4). Sniffing, leaning, licking, and rubbing the stroker
depicted a positive emotional state of mind; whereas, leaning into the stroker depicted a negative,
aggressive emotional state (Eye Whites 5). After 372 focal observations, Proctor observed the
percentages of eye whites and graphed the results on a line graph (Eye Whites 5). The line
graph shows a variation between the stroking phases and percentage of visible eye whites;
however the results showed no distinction between the pre-stroking and post-stroking phase
(Eye Whites 4). This study illustrates cows arousal levels to vary from high to low as well as
emotions shifting from negative to positive, describing the stroking phase to emit a relaxed and
calm sensation to cows (Eye Whites 6).

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In conclusion, the study of animal sentience throughout history has not only progressed
as a scientific phenomenon, but has also helped mankind to recognize the emotional similarities
that we share with nonhuman animals. The sources cited in this review advocate the belief that
cows share emotional abilities; in fact, the ongoing study of animal valence willingly
acknowledges that cows not only have minds like us, but also emotionally convey themselves
like us. My ultimate argument is that if animals feel and express the same emotions as us, why
do we apathetically mistreat them? The extent of welfare assessment has been the core of animal
welfare debates and has helped conduct studies instigating the proper treatment for animals.
Despite studies supporting animal emotions, factory farms have significantly impacted the lives
of cows by affecting their efficiency and productivity of milk harvesting. Some people see
animals as companions and a piece of nature; whereas, other see them in terms of their monetary
value and as a mere asset. The perspectives of the treatment on animals we farm for food tend to
dominate over animal sentience and confirm to be far more important. If people are exposed to
factory animal abuse through emotional logical, ethical appeal, the fight to end animal abuse in
factory farms will gain much more support and attention.

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Work Cited
Bekoff, Marc. "Animal Emotions: Exploring Passionate Natures." Bioscience 50.10 (2000): 861.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.
Bourguet, Ccile, et al. "Characterising The Emotional Reactivity Of Cows To Understand And
Predict Their Stress Reactions To The Slaughter Procedure." Applied Animal Behaviour
Science 125.1/2 (2010): 9-21. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.
Daros, Rolnei R., et al. "Separation From The Dam Causes Negative Judgement Bias In Dairy
Calves." Plos ONE 9.5 (2014): 1-5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.
Hartle, Diane. "The Face On Your Plate: The Truth About Food." Library Journal 134.5 (2009):
118. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.
Kluger, Jeffrey. The Animal Mind: Mourning. Times Magazine (2014). 10 July 2015.
Proctor, Helen S., and Gemma Carder. "Can Ear Postures Reliably Measure The Positive
Emotional State Of Cows?." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 161.(2014): 20-27.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.
Proctor, Helen S., and Gemma Carder. "Measuring Positive Emotions In Cows: Do Visible Eye
Whites Tell Us Anything?." Physiology & Behavior 147.(2015): 1-6. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.
Siegford, Janice M. "Multidisciplinary Approaches And Assessment Techniques To Better
Understand And Enhance Zoo Nonhuman Animal Welfare." Journal Of Applied Animal
Welfare Science 16.4 (2013): 300-318. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2015.

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