A four-year study revealed how painting eyes on the backsides of livestock can protect them from attack. “Ultimately, our study found that lions were less likely to attack cattle if they had eyes painted on their rumps. In the study, researchers painted cattle from 14 herds that had recently suffered lion attacks in Okavango Delta in Botswana. “Our results suggest that artificial eye spots were successful in deterring ambush predators (lions and leopards) from attacking cattle on which they were painted during the study period. The predators, in turn, follow the prey and livestock become an easier target,” Simon Makokha, a liaison officer with Nature Kenya said.

Source: Standard Digital August 10, 2020 05:03 UTC