Could painting two crude eyes on a cow's rump
help protect it from lion attacks? Australian
conservation biologist Dr. Neil Jordan thinks
so,
and he's putting the butt-painting technique to the scientific test.
Here's the reality: The African lion is a
threatened species, and human expansion puts
cattle grazing lands in ever-closer proximity
to the wildlife areas lions call home. Lion
attacks on livestock hurt hardworking farmers,
and retaliatory attacks cut into lion populations.
If only there was a non-violent way to protect
the cattle. There's where the eyes come into
play -- just a crude pair of finger-paint
peepers, one to either side of the cow's tail
nose. Since lions are ambush hunters, they
depend on surprise attacks. If they think they've
been had, they'll abandon the hunt -- or at
least that's the theory. Jordon, who holds
a post with the Botswana Predator Conservation
Trust (BPCT), recently held a 10-week trial
of the strategy, painting eyes on one-third
of a 62-cattle herd. Three unpainted cows
wound up as lion chow, but none of the eye-cows
fell to predation. That's a small study size,
though, so Jordon is currently rolling out
an $8,000 crowdfunded study that entails more
cows, 10 GPS cattle trackers and one GPS collar
for a lucky lion. If the findings prove that
the eyes "have it," then farmers in Botswana
and beyond could benefit from a super low-cost
and sustainable tool to protect both species
in an unbalanced environment. Hey, and there's
reason to hope. Indians who happen to work
in Bengal tiger country have long reported
success with backwards wooden masks to ward
off ambush attacks. Plus various animal species
evolved eyespots that, in many cases, may
serve to protect them from creeping predators.
But hey, hold off on you own anti-lion butt
tattoo till the study results roll in. Let
us know what you think about the tactic and
if you crave more weird science wonders, be
sure to visit now.howstuffworks.com each and
every day.
