Understanding Cattle Behavior Makes Handling Easier

Abstract

Cattle are visual animals that are motivated by fear. In the wild they are ever vigilant and any novel sight or sound is perceived as a possible danger. Their ears are more sensitive to high pitched noise than human ears and their wide angle vision enables them to scan the horizon for predators while they are grazing.

Novelty can be both fear inducing and attractive. Calm cattle in a corral will approach and sniff a paper cup on the ground, but that same cup will cause them to balk and turn back if one attempts to force the animals to walk over it. Cattle are most likely to panic when they are suddenly confronted with a novel sight or sound.