Category : Factual
& Arts TV
Date : 08.04.2004
Printable version
Just what
does your pet think of you? And just how smart are our millions of dogs,
cats, birds... even goldfish?
This Spring BBC ONE and BBCi are turning
the spotlight on the nation’s pets during National Pet Week to
discover just how clever our animal friends really are.
During the first week of May pet owners throughout the
UK will be given a new insight into the minds of their pets and the
subtleties and surprises of animal intelligence.
Using a series of intelligence tests devised by animal
behaviourists, they will be able to uncover their own pet's abilities
and compare their results with the rest of the country.
We should also be able to reveal some genuinely new
scientific results.
Now is the time to discover what your cat's paw preference
says about its intellect and whether horses understand more commands
than dogs.
Digital viewers can even partake in a unique PET TV
experiment to help us discover how pets perceive our world.
On Saturday 1 May on BBC ONE Test Your Pet presenters
Rolf Harris and Kate Humble will introduce a series of
tests and challenges for every pet.
Over the years scientists have been working on many
ingenious experiments which will reveal exactly what animals are capable
of, but until now they have only tested a few individuals.
Now the BBC hopes to harness our interest in pets and
help viewers find out more about the abilities of dogs, cats, horses
and other domestic animals in general.
Discover whether fish really do have a five-minute memory,
and if rodents beat parrots at problem-solving.
There are tests for cats, dogs, birds, ferrets, rats,
hamsters, guinea pigs, horses, and aquarium fish to undertake.
Dr Tim Guilford, a leading expert on animal behaviour
from Oxford University, will be hoping to analyse the results of these
tests to gain the best ever indication of pets intelligence.
"From testing whether your pet is left or right
pawed, to its ability to solve problems, its understanding of words
and commands, and its awareness of the world, there is a wealth of information
just waiting to be gathered and analysed," he said.
"The large scale of the project also holds out
the possibility that we will discover some intriguing patterns of difference
that are not normally visible in a small sample."
Viewers can visit the Test
Your Pet website to find out more about the tests.
By answering some simple questions about their pets,
owners can also contribute to Britain’s biggest ever pet survey.
There's no end to the intriguing details that we can
uncover about Britain's growing pet population.
Do hamsters show a preference for anticlockwise or
clockwise on the wheel? Do dog owners miss their pets more than their
partners? Are parrots chattier in Scotland than in Wales?
Test Your Pet is an event that everyone in the country
can partake in.
Digital viewers will also get the chance to participate
in a unique experiment. How does your pet respond to television?
Settle them down in front of PET TV and find out what
your pet is actually seeing and hearing on the box.
We'll be working with National Pet Week to encourage
pet owners to go along to special events across the UK and test their
pet alongside others.
Over on CBBC children can join Michaela Strachan
and Nick Baker as they meet celebrities and their pets, check
out the nation's bravest and cleverest pets and see the results of a
special children's 'pet swap'.
If you think your dog has what it takes to be a canine
genius, or your cat could be a feline mastermind, now is your opportunity
to find out just what makes a clever pet.
Notes to Editors
Test Your Pet will be broadcast on BBC ONE on Saturday
1 May at 6.00pm and on Saturday 8 May 2004.
CBBC's Test Your Pet programmes will be broadcast live
on BBC ONE at 4.35pm between Tuesday 4 May and Friday 7 May.
Test Your Pet is produced by the BBC's Natural History
Unit.
Series producer is Sarah Pitt, Executive Producer is
Sara Ford.
The series producers and animal behavioural experts
Dr Tim Guilford and Colette Kase are available for interviews.
National Pet Week runs from 1 May to 9 May 2004. National
Pet Week is a registered charity dedicated to promoting responsible
pet ownership. For further information please visit www.nationalpetweek.org.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external
internet sites
