Autistic Insight Revolutionizes Lives of Cattle

Autistic Insight Revolutionizes Lives of Cattle: Temple Grandin has an uncanny ability to connect with animals, thanks to her autism. Seeing the world in pictures, Grandin can translate how cattle and even dogs experience life -- a gift that's transforming how animals are treated.

FT. COLLINS, Colo. -- Understanding animal behavior is not an easy thing. Humans often wrongly apply their own emotions and actions to that of the four-legged world.

Dr. Doolittle was famed for being able to talk to the animals, but he was, after all, a fictional character. In Colorado, though, there is actually a woman who has devoted her life trying to understand animals. And, she's succeeded, in part, because of what some people might consider an affliction.

Temple Grandin is autistic. Her brain development disorder has, she says, allowed her to serve as a unique interpreter between animal and human communities. She can see what animals see, and that insight has helped her become one of the most sought-after animal behaviorists in the country.

She often works as a consultant for companies like McDonald's, and even for the federal government.

"Well, as a person with autism, I think in pictures. I don't think in language," Grandin explained. "To understand animals, you have to get away from language. Animals are sensory-based thinkers. The information in their brains is stored as smell sensations, pictures and sound."

Now a professor at Colorado State University, Grandin grew up in Boston. It wasn't until she was 15-years-old, and on a visit to her aunt's farm that she first saw farm animals up close. That singular experience paved the way to her life's work.

"Animals feel pain, animals feel fear, and we want to give all of our farm animals a decent life," said Grandin, who also is a veterinarian. "It's really important for all animals, whether it's a farm animal, or a dog or a cat, to have a decent life."

Walking around the cattle pens at CSU's Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center near Fort Collins, Colo., Grandin is dressed in a western shirt and neckerchief.

"Cattle notice little things we don't notice," Grandin explained as she paced the area. "And I was one of the first to discover this."

How humans treat the animals that many consider a food source has been the focus of Grandin's research. The 61-year-old professor approaches her work on a much different level than any of her colleagues. Early in her career, she became know as an innovator.

"One of the first things I did in the 70s, and people thought I was really crazy, was to get down in the chutes and see what the cattle were seeing," she recalled.

What she discovered led to the design of a new type of pen, with rounded sides; it is presently in use at CSU and other cattle facilities across the country. The design has been proven to relieve fear and stress in cattle when something out of the ordinary occurs.

Simply put: If the animals can't see what's happening in front of them, they don't worry about it.

"As the cattle come around the bend, they think they're going back to where they came from," Grandin said. "And they also can't see the end of the chute and the people and all the commotion at the end of the chute."

Grandin has also seen needless fear and stress in those animals we consider part of the family. Man's best friend, who, because of an owner's work schedule, may spend a great deal of time alone. The solitude can take an emotional toll on some sensitive pups.

"Dogs don't handle being home all day very well," Grandin said. "Some will handle it better than others, there are individual differences. But some are miserable."

The solution, Grandin says, is to make sure dogs are socialized. Dog owners should ask friends to babysit, if possible, and after work, take advantage of the local dog park.

Canines, she says, need a doggy social life in order to be truly fulfilled and happy.

"And one of the ways you can tell your dog is really happy is when the mouth just goes into a relaxed kind of smile position," she said. "Relaxed, tongue a little bit extended, not panting hot. That's a happy, happy dog."

For Grandin, it's up to humans to do everything to ensure that the animals in our world live better lives.

Grandin has authored several books on animal behavior, the latest titled, "Animals Make Us Human." For more information, visit her Web site, TempleGrandin.com.

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