Confused, right? I was too when I read that some scientists have discovered that the livestock protection can be achieved by something as simple as painting eyes on cows’ butts. The concept is very similar to that of scarecrows used in fields. However, scarecrows are used for crop protection but this! It may sound weird but it is quite a smart solution for ultimate livestock protection.
The main issue is that the farmers who protect their herds from predators would kill and shoot the lions that attempt to attack their livestock. Although this all seems very logical, this results in many unnecessary killings of the lions, and it is reducing their species drastically! Scientists at UNSW Australia have come up with a clever method to prevent this. They painted eyes on cow butts to trick lions into thinking that they are being watched, and it considerably decreases the likelihood of predatory attack. Dr. Neil Jordan, a conservation biologist working at UNSW, says:
“As protected conservation areas become smaller, lions are increasingly coming into contact with human populations, which are expanding to the boundaries of these protected areas.”
Although non-lethal defense against lions is also possible, researchers reveal that farmers still resort to the lethal means to retaliate in an attack against their livestock. This has decreased the African lion population, only 23,000 to 39,000 species are left alive. Methods like painting eyes on cow butts may seem funny and pointless initially, but they could help to reduce killings of lions.
“If the tool works, it could provide farmers in Botswana – and elsewhere – with a low-cost, sustainable tool to protect their livestock, and a way to keep lions safe from retaliatory killing.” – says UNSW research.
Simple yet smart solution is all you need! Share your views about this funny idea in the comments’ section below.