Scientists in Belgium are investigating a farmer’s claim that different types of music affect the behavior of his pigs.
Piet Paesmans first noticed the reaction when his son started singing a song at the family‘s animal shelter. The farmer said the sows, or adult females, seemed excited by the sound and began to wag their little tails.
“I thought this was too good to pass up, we should try it with the other pigs as well,” Paesmans told Reuters from his farm.
Since then, Paesmans has created a list of songs to play at different times of the day. He uses energetic music when he wants the pigs to be active and lullabies at the end of the day. Lullabies are quiet, slow songs.
“The jolly dance songs are the big hits,” Paesmans said. He said the pigs even seem to dance to the music.
Don’t play rock and roll music for pigs. “Rock music is too loud, they don’t like it,” observed the farmer.
The farmer described his observations to a team of researchers. The team then secured €75,000 in funding to investigate the claims.
Sander Palmans is the organizer of the research project. He said not much is known about how pigs react to music. But he said Paesmans’ experience fits with existing knowledge about the effects of sounds on animals.
“There is definitely an effect of specific noises on animals,” he said. “So it’s really possible that music could have the same effect,” said Palmans, adding that music could help alleviate boredom, which has been linked to stress in animals.
The findings could be useful for the agricultural industry. Meat quality is affected by animal stress, Paesmans said.
“A top athlete has to be completely fit physically, but also mentally. And that’s the same for pigs… It’s very important for the quality of the meat.”
The results of the investigation are expected at the end of the year.
Reuters news agency reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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Words in This Story
cheerful -adj. full of fun or joy
excited -adj. very enthusiastic and eager This may interest you : Stock music market to record 6.52% Y-O-Y growth rate in 2022, Evolving Opportunities Artlist Ltd., Audio Network Ltd. & Bensound – Technavio.
doubt – n. a reason for disbelief
specific -adj. relating to or being an example of a certain kind of thing
boredom – n. the state of being tired and restless due to lack of interest
athlete – n. a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports or games that require physical strength, agility or endurance
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