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Do Vampire Bats Have Friends?

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A dog licks your face when you arrive home, a cat purrs when you stroke its chin, Alex the parrot can name his favourite toys. But do these animals really feel pleasure? The question of whether animals think and have consciousness has concerned mankind for centuries. In Medieval Britain animals were tried and executed for committing crimes. But are animals really anything more than soft automata, programmed merely to survive and reproduce? In the age of free range eggs, vegetarianism and fur boycotts, these are serious questions. Equinox travels the world to find people who have dedicated their lives to trying to discover what it is like to be another creature.

A dog licks your face when you arrive home, a cat purrs when you stroke its chin, Alex the parrot can name his favourite toys. But do these animals really feel pleasure? The question of whether animals think and have consciousness has concerned mankind for centuries. In Medieval Britain animals were tried and executed for committing crimes. But are animals really anything more than soft automata, programmed merely to survive and reproduce? In the age of free range eggs, vegetarianism and fur boycotts, these are serious questions. Equinox travels the world to find people who have dedicated their lives to trying to discover what it is like to be another creature.

Programme Information

  • Genre: Factual

  • Subgenre: Science

  • Producers: CHRISTOPHER SYKES LTD

  • Broadcaster: n/a

  • Duration: 1 x 52'

  • Tags: Factual Science Animals

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