It’s not only dogs, cats, and horses that make beneficial therapy animals for the sick, depressed, disabled, and elderly. Female and male cows can do it too, according to a new study carried out by scientists at New York University (NYU) and the US Military Academy at West Point in New York State.
Greater attachment
The research published in the journal Human-Animal Interactions and entitled “Cow cuddling: cognitive considerations in bovine-assisted therapy,” opens a new era on whether some therapies may be initially stronger based upon gender and not procedure, highlighted that the women also reported greater attachment behaviors towards the steers.
The scientists examined the behavioral and cognitive traits of cattle that work as therapy animals. Special attention was paid to the welfare and enrichment benefits of cattle involved in bovine-assisted therapy. They believe that cows have special behavioral traits that allow them to bond with people in a way that is unique to their size and temperament.
“The results of this study show that the steers showed a strong preference or interactions with women compared to men, and, in turn, the women reported stronger attachment behaviors towards the steers,” Compitus said. “It’s unclear without further testing whether the animals sought out the attention of women in general or if the women were more likely to initiate the actions when compared to the men participants.”