Researchers have found that goats can follow the direction of a human voice to locate hidden food, much like young children. Professor Simon Townsend of the University of Zürich, a senior author of the study, described this as a vocal form of pointing. The skill has not been observed in chimpanzees but is known in dogs, suggesting a possible connection to domestication. To investigate, the team studied goats, one of the earliest domesticated animals. In experiments published in Royal Society Open Science, goats were first familiarized with two buckets beside a screen. During tests, a researcher hid behind the screen, placed pasta in one bucket out of sight, and then either spoke excitedly toward the baited bucket, remained silent, or spoke while facing away. Goats were then released, and their choices recorded. Across 29 goats and 12 trials each, animals selected the correct bucket 60 percent of the time when excited speech was directed toward it. Success rates dropped to chance levels, 47 and 49 percent, in the silent and turned-away conditions. The results indicate goats can follow an unseen human voice without training. First author Dr Stuart Watson noted the findings may clarify cognitive traits that aid coexistence with humans and support better animal welfare. Earlier studies have shown goats respond to pointing gestures, distinguish emotions in voices, and prefer positive human expressions. The researchers suggest testing wild goats to determine if the ability is innate and propose further work on how animals respond to each other’s vocal directions. Professor Townsend said the study reveals more similarities between human communication and that of other species.
