The Japanese black cattle breed is one of four cattle breeds famous for premium wagyu beef in the land of the rising sun. However, farmers have long complained that cows are susceptible to insects such as flies or horse flies. This makes cows stressed, uncomfortable and painful, and even affects the reproductive rate of the entire herd.
According to research by scientists from Yamagata Prefecture, flies will less likely to cling to cows with stripes and will often cling to cows with normal fur. As a result, cattle farmers in this province are starting to dye their cattle's hair with mild bleach and paint to give them stripes like zebras and flax. Mainichi news.
"Many farmers are worried about letting their livestock out into the fields because they are often attacked by horse flies and gulls," said an official working in the province's agricultural promotion department. “But now we can help cattle relax and grow healthy by painting them with zebra stripes.”
Scientists tracked the effectiveness of this solution by simply observing the cows. They let cows painted with zebra stripes go out into the fields to graze with normal cows.
At this time, the number of tail wags, head shakes or foot stomps – the cow's attempts to chase away insects – will be recorded. Research shows that cows without stripes will be attacked about 16 times/minute while "striped cows" will only be attacked about 5 times/minute.
Researchers have yet to provide any scientific explanation for the phenomenon mentioned above. However, they quickly shared this discovery with farmers throughout the province.
One farmer commented that the improvement in the cattle herd was "noticeable". He added that cows that are not painted do not attack or shun their striped counterparts.
Minh Hoa (t/h according to News newspaper, Tri Tric magazine)
