In Order To Help The Environment, Scientists Are Potty Training Cows To Use The 'MooLoo'
A group of scientists potty-trained cows by using a sweet treat to coax the cows to push through a gate and urinate in a special pen called MooLoo.
Looks like cows can be potty trained just as much as any other toddler. No, really! Scientists are doing it.
Researchers in Germany have found a way to potty train cows just to save the planet and the environment from the damage caused due to livestock waste.
The team of scientists from FBN and FLI in Germany and the University of Auckland in New Zealand began to potty-train the calves, in a process they called "MooLoo training."
The Telegraph
In the first phase of training, the cattle were put in a closed latrine. And whenever they urinated, they were given a reward of either electrolyte mixture of crushed barley.
"Once they were allowed outside, the calves would go in the toilet to get their reward, but they soon learned that there's only a reward if they urinate." To encourage calves to use the toilets, researchers also came up with a deterrent. "We first used in-ear headphones and we played a very nasty sound whenever they urinated outside," said Langbein. "We thought this would punish the animals, but they didn't care. Ultimately, a splash of water worked well as a gentle deterrent." FBN's Neele Dirksen, the first author of the study, told CNN.
The calves were trained for 45 minutes every other day. And after 10 training days, the team had managed to successfully train 11 out of the 16 calves involved in the experiment.
"The cows are at least as good as children, age 2 to 4 years, at least as quick," study's senior author Lindsay Matthews, an animal behavioural scientist at New ZealandĄ¯s University of Auckland who worked on the tests at an indoor animal research lab in Germany, said.
The research idea originated during a New Zealand radio talk show about the very real problem of livestock waste. Matthews said that large amounts of urine waste are an environmental issue. He explained that urine contains nitrogen and which when mixed with faeces becomes ammonia, which is an environmental issue with acid rain and other problems.
YouTube
A cow can produce about 30 litres of urine in a day.
This can be a game-changer for the environment.
Building, coordinating and crafting engaging content for lifestyle brand 'Evolve' at Indiatimes. Successfully revamping the lifestyle section including topics such as mental health, relationships, self, skin care, music etc. I collaborate with experts from various fields to gather insights and create well-structured pieces.
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