From a psychological standpoint, is it normal for, lets say cows, to be frightened when humans approach them?
Im talking about the farm animals that are in fields. The whole herd runs away the minute a human approaches.
Could it be due to any trauma or abuse that farmers impose on them?
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I grew up out in the country, and my experience (which is of course just an anecdote) is that most grazing cows would be pretty curious of people coming up to the fences. They’d only really be scared if you make very sudden movements. They are very much herd animals, though, and panic and fear seems to spread to others very rapidly. If one gets scared by something, nearby animals are very likely to follow.
It depends on how well socialized they are, which often depends a lot on how big the farm is. On some farms, people interact a lot more with their animals than others do. Cows are relatively smart, and have no problems remembering which humans are nice and which aren’t.
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