For the Happiness of Animals

In the U.S. so called “animal well-being” is now an emerging academic field, the New York Times reported Sunday. These researchers research what make animals happier by examining activities, psychology and emotional changes of animals like hens, pigs and cows, so animals can live happily at least before they are slaughtered.

In Europe, “Animal and Happiness” is becoming a hot research subject and seminars such as under the title of ‘can animals also feel happiness’ are being held, European media including the Guardian reported recently.

Edmond A. Pajor, a professor of animal behavior at Purdue University is researching if pigs are happier when eat alone or when eat with other pigs. Besides it, quite a few other universities are also researching on animal welfare with a variety of matters such as “what chickens want to play, fish`s sense of pain.”

Some of such research projects are being financed by Fast Food Chains such as McDonald`s and KFC. It is an attempt to defend accusation of ‘breeding animals in harsh conditions’ and improve their image.

Animal researchers expect that such researches will help easy humans` psychological pressure and eventually lead to improve ways of breeding animals.

Of eight billion farm animals slaughtered in the U.S., most are crammed into cages, stalls and indoor barns before being killed. Even cows which were used to maintain their lives until they become 5 to 7 years old making milk are now being killed when they are merely 2 or 3 years. Chickens are killed on the average after 48 days old, a survey says. It could be their unchangeable fate, but the new researches are at least trying to attempt to live their short lives sweeter.

sechepa@donga.com