2018.12(第三套) reading comprehension

In what’s probably the craziest headline I’ve ever written, I’ve reported that advances in livestock protection are happening with scientists painting eyes on the butts of cows. The experience is based upon the idea that farmers who’re protecting their herd from lions would shoot and kill lions in an effort to protect their livestock. While this makes a lot of sense, it results in many lion deaths that otherwise would have been unnecessary. Researchers in Australia have been devising and testing a method of trickery to make lions think they are being watched by the painted eyes on cow butts.

This idea is based on the principle that lions and other predators are far less likely to attack when they feel they are being watched. As conservation areas become smaller, lions are increasingly coming into contact with human populations, which are expanding to the boundaries of these protected areas.

Efforts like painting eyes on cow butts may seem crazy at first, but they could make actual headway in the fight for conservation. “If the method works, it could provide farmers in Botswana—and elsewhere—with a low-cost, sustainable tool to protect their livestock, and a way to keep lions safe from being killed.”

Lions are primarily ambush hunters, so when they feel their prey has spotted them, they usually give up on the hunt. Researchers are currently testing their idea on a select herd of cattle. They have painted half of the cows with eyes and left the other half as normal. Through satellite tracking of both the herd and the lions in the area, they will be able to determine if their psychological trickery will work to help keep farmers from shooting lions.