Volume: 4, 2025
4th International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: A012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL4.A012
Published online: 9 April 2025
ICDSUPL, 4, A012 (2025)
The ability of sheep to solve operant problem task depending on seeking contact with human
Wiktoria Janicka1*, Patrycja Masier1, Kamila Janicka1
1 Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: wiktoria.janicka@up.lublin.pl
Abstract
Problem solving is crucial to acquire resources and avoid threats. However, sheep are fearful animals and usually respond with flocking and escape to potential danger. In turn, stress can inhibit cognitive processing and learning and may consequently hamper livestock management. It is therefore important that animals do not react with fear to human presence. We aimed to evaluate the effect of different levels of human contact seeking on sheep’s performance during solving an operant problem task. 15 adult ewes (Świniarka breed) were subjected to two experimental procedures. In the first one, they were moving freely in a known environment where also the known caretaker stayed. Based on a voluntary approach and staying in the proximity of the carer, they were divided into two groups: human-oriented (HO; n=7) – sheep more willing to leave the herd and to stay near the caretaker and flock-oriented (FO; n=8) – more prone to stay near their conspecifics. In the second stage of the study, each sheep was exposed to 15 trials in which they could interact with an operant task (three consecutive days) – they manipulated a plastic container covered with lid to receive a food reward. Latency to open the container [s] and probability of solving the task (1 – solved, 0 – unsolved within 60 s) were measured. The effect of HO/FO group and consecutive days was analyzed with PROC GLMMIX and the probability of solving the task with GLIMMIX procedure. The overall success rate was high in both groups and was 91 – 100% for HO and 80 – 100% for FO individuals. On the following days, all animals needed less time to reach the food reward (day 1–day 3: HO; p<0.001 FO; p=0.001). However, HO sheep had significantly lesser latencies than FO sheep on 1 and 3 experimental days (p=0.002; p=0.001). We showed that socialisation to humans is an important factor in reducing fear and determining sheep’s motivation during cognitive tests. This effect may be strengthened by higher willingness to interact with humans and may be explained by being more self-reliant. It may also correlate with higher curiosity or lower fearfulness, but these would need further research, since we did not assess personality traits and no measures indicative of fear were taken during the operant task. The results of the study support the importance of positive human-animals interactions in daily procedures.
Keywords: operant task, problem solving, socialisation, human-animal interaction
How to cite
W. Janicka, P. Masier, K. Janicka, 2025. The ability of sheep to solve operant problem task depending on seeking contact with human. In: 4th International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL4.A012