Why just potty-train a child when you can now potty-train a cow! As per a new study published in the journal Current Biology, scientists have found that it is possible to toilet-train cows.
This is no bizarre experiment and has a reason behind it. The study highlighted that cattle excreta leads to greenhouse emissions and soil and water contamination. The ammonia from cow urine seeps into the soil and the microbes convert it into nitrous oxide which is a greenhouse gas.
Due to this reason, training cows to urinate in a designated area has for long been the most sought-after option to help save the environment.
For the experiment, 16 calves were made to go through individual toilet training sessions. The researchers used the MooLoo approach wherein calves were taught to urinate in a toilet area in the barn. Just like how toddlers are taught using a reward-based training method, so were these calves rewarded with both food and mild punishment.
It was observed that out of the total 16 calves, 11 were successfully toilet trained. The same team of researchers is now working towards developing an automated system that may be used to train calves without the farmer's involvement.
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