We all got to experience isolation somehow in 2020 and even 2021, because of the Coronavirus. Many of us flocked to online meetings, in order to maintain contact with other people. Might this also be a stress response? Older studies with horses showed that when in isolation, their distress levels reduced if there was a poster of another horse. Mirrors had an even bigger positive effect, and the highest stress reduction was to see actual other horses.
A recent study* now comes with a similar conclusion for goats. Spanish goats that were isolated with a view on other goats showed lower distress responses than those in complete isolation. This might be an important finding, as it shows the need for social contact among goats, and possibly also among other social animals.
As social contact seems important for welfare and wellbeing, it is something to keep in mind for social beings, in the animal kingdom, as well as for humans.
- Source: Kannan et al. (2021) Social isolation of goats: significance of visual contact with conspecifics on behavioral and physiological responses. Journal of Animal Science, skab150.
Animal Behaviour Facts 