In an experiment documented in Biological Letters, the goats were observed to gaze at their owners emotionally when they are seeking help or assistance. Such a trait, which is not usually seen in other animals who never co-existed with humans, is also commonly found in dogs.
To prove that goats are smarter than the common perception, the research team conducted tests similarly used to gauge intelligence in apes. In a series of tests, the goats displayed an ability to cleverly figure out how to break into a sealed box by using levers.
In the first trial, the goats were trained to remove a lid from a box by giving them rewards. In the last test, the box was made impossible to open and the goat’s reaction revealed a striking resemblance to how dogs usually react. The goats turned to their owners in a pleading gaze, asking for help in getting to the treat.
The goats were also observed to gaze for longer when the person looked back and returned the gaze, compared to when the person looked the other way.
More impressively, the test subjects even retained the skill and were able to perform the task, without repeating prompts, four years later.
“Goats gaze at humans in the same way as dogs do when asking for a treat that is out of reach,” said study co-author Dr Christian Nawroth.
“Our results provide strong evidence for complex communication directed at humans in a species that was domesticated primarily for agricultural production, and show similarities with animals bred to become pets or working animals, such as dogs and horses.”
It is interesting to note that goats were the first animal species domesticated by humans, approximately 10,000 years ago. Previously considered to have a lower intelligence and believed to be of same intellect as sheep, goats are usually a subject of jokes or insults to insinuate stupidity. The phrase “as stupid as a goat” is even used as an insult in some countries.
Co-author Dr Alan McElligott from Queen Mary’s Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology thinks the animal’s association with sheep’s intelligence level is baseless.