Rescue Animals Recover From Neglect, Can Be More Optimistic Than Others, New Study [Video]

Rescue animals can and do recover from neglect. Animal sanctuaries aren’t just a feel-good exercise for humans, but they really can make a difference in the lives of previously neglected animals. That’s the conclusion of a Queen Mary, University of London study published Tuesday in journal Applied Animal Behavior Science.

The researchers studied 18 rescued goats kept at Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats. Half of them had suffered a background of neglect that could have included a bad diet, lack of space, or a lack of shelter in their previous homes.

They evaluated the mood of the goats, which is probably not as easy as it sounds. To tell whether a goat was optimistic or pessimistic, they tested to see which goats were the fastest to explore new areas to look for food treats.

Naturally, the researchers had predicted that previously neglected goats would have a darker view of the world and be less willing to explore new areas where it wasn’t clear whether they would be guaranteed to find food.

One of the study co-authors, Elodie Briefer, explained that the researchers were actually surprised at how well formerly neglected animals performed:

“In this case, we found that female goats that had been previously neglected were the most optimistic of all the tested animals. They were more optimistic than well-treated females, but also the poorly treated males. This suggests that females may be better at recovering from neglect when released from stress…”

Apparently, there’s something to the idea of being a survivor instead of a victim. In the female goats, at least, having survived neglect actually seemed to give them courage.

Check out this BBC video on the project that includes more happy goat cuteness than you can stand:

The study is admittedly a small one. I won’t guess whether neglected animals would often turn out to be more optimistic than others. But it’s still heart-warming news to see how these rescued animals are thriving in their new sanctuary.

[baby goat photo by Fir0002 via Wikipedia Commons]