For the African Cattle in Botswana, lions hunt the animals as their dinner. For years this has been a struggle for farmers who often cannot afford to replace the cows. So, the UNSW conservationists discovered one effective, low-budget method for protecting their precious cattle from being hunted by big cats. By painting eyes on the back of the cattle's rear end, they're safe another day from predators. It's the perfect solution.
A conservation biologist from UNSW’s Centre for Ecosystem Science, Dr Neil Jordan said that "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." Unwilling to kill the lions and unable to protect their livestock on their own, this was a genius solution to a nationwide issue.
As of right now, this is only a theory, and there are tests being done to gauge how effective it is. "This will give us information about the exposure of painted and unpainted cows to predation risks, and where the conflict hotspots are," said Dr. Jordan. If it works, then thousands of Botswana farmers might be able to fend off the vicious predators from their livelihoods for a very low cost. That's good news for everyone but the lions!
