A new gadget that blares the sounds of dogs barking and deer snorting from a train is helping reduce the number of collisions in Japan. The contraption, fitted to a Japanese train, was invented to reduce the number of collisions with deer. According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, the Tokyo-based institution is hoping to have the system in practical use by the end of the year to help reduce collisions. The system emits the sound of deer snorting – which they do to alert other deer of danger – and the sound of their enemy, a dog, to help drive them away. Apparently in tests, three seconds of deer snorting and 20 seconds of a yapping dog broadcast from a running train between evening and late at night reduced sightings of deer by around 45%.

Source: Punch January 17, 2018 16:30 UTC