<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/mooloo-cows-toilet-trained-methane-urine-emissions/>
"One small pee for cows, one giant leap for mankind. At least, that’s what a
team of scientists in Dummerstorf, Germany, believe could be a potent solution
for manmade climate change.
While grand experiments around the world are being tested to prevent disastrous
global warming, including giant machines sucking up CO2 and large-scale
seagrass restoration, the researchers from the University of Auckland and
Germany’s Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) say that potty
training — or as they term it, “learned control of urinary reflexes” — is an
“original and hitherto unrealized opportunity” in the fight against global
warming.
During the study, the findings of which were published in the scientific
journal
Cell Biology in September, the team carried out potty training for 16
cows. A two-by-two-meter pen acted as a designated toilet. Each time one of the
young calves entered the so-called “MooLoo” and urinated, within a minute they
were given a reward: a hatch opened up to offer them a sweet, electrolyte
liquid (the same system used for robotic milking). But if they urinated outside
the MooLoo, they were given a mild punishment: a three-second squirt of cold
water (any longer and the cows began to enjoy it). Their urine was then
collected, treated and neutralized.
As the training progressed, the cows were moved further and further from the
toilet, increasing the effort required. Diuretics were given to the cattle to
get them to urinate more because of the limited time to run the experiments
under ethics guidelines.
After 15 sessions of just 45 minutes each, carried out over two weeks,
researchers found that 11 out of the 16 cows were successfully toilet trained —
80 percent of their urination was done within the MooLoo.
“We were really impressed by the result,” says Dr. Jan Langbein of FBN, who for
20 years has been studying the cognitive abilities of farm animals. “While
other animals — cats, dogs and pigs — are toilet trained. The idea was that
cattle weren’t capable of this.”"
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
