I've read this a few days ago, but I see no reason to find experiments on pigeons funny. This guy "has worked with pigeons for more than 35 years". Worked with? Hardly, as that implies cooperation on the part of the animals. More like "used". Just how many birds has he "worked with" throughout his long career as an animal experimenter, and also do pray tell, what important insights did his research bring us? We all know already that pigeons are intelligent animals. So they take chances... um, okay. What a shock. I wouldn't have guessed that! Like most if not all other animal experiments, this one too is using animals against their will and best interest to "prove" the most trivial and useless things. I bet these pigeons are purpose-bred for Mr. Zentall's research. They live in cages, they never see the sun, they never fly, and they are "culled" once they are not "useful" anymore to the research facility. Animal experimentation is just another brutal industry which sees animals as disposable commodities. I understand that scientists sometimes need to go public with some BS "research" to raise their profile and secure continued funds for their jobs, and that this creates these funny articles with a punchline, but at least we should be a little more willing to question and take a stand against experimentation on these magnificent animals. If not us, who? Barna On Oct 20, 2010, at 6:53 PM, John Graziano wrote:

Interesting implications for foraging and training...

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44199/

Pigeon Gambling: Study Shows Pigeons Have Urge to Gamble

Pigeon gambling? That’s what a scientist at the University of Kentucky is saying in a recent study which showed that, like people, some pigeons take risks to win prizes, according to a news release from the school.

University of Kentucky psychology professor Thomas Zentall has been working with pigeons for more than 35 years. He conducted a study of the birds to test their affinity for gambling through pecking at lights for predetermined numbers of pellets, the news release said.

Professor Zentall said if a pigeon pecked to the left, it would see a green or red light. After 10 seconds, the red light would reward the bird with 10 pellets but the green light would give nothing. Overall the birds would receive two pellets per trial on average, according to Zentall.

Meanwhile, if pecking on the right side, a bird would receive either a blue or yellow light, which both would give out three pellets per trial.

"You'd think that pigeons would choose the right side, but they don't," Zentall said in the news release. The study noted that most birds “reliably” chose the left side in hopes to get 10 pellets when zero was more likely, although some, like some humans, preferred not to gamble.

Zentall likened the pigeons' behavior to gambling in lotteries and casinos, but noted that a few pigeons do not display this behavior.

"It's more efficient not to gamble, and the likelihood of winning is low, but pigeons do it anyway. And so do people," he said.

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