為保護環(huán)境 德國科學家對奶牛進行如廁訓練

Scientists are potty-training cows in a bid to help save the planet

為保護環(huán)境 德國科學家對奶牛進行如廁訓練

If you can potty-train a child, you can potty-train a cow. At least, that was the theory a group of researchers in Germany decided to test, in a bid to find a solution to the environmental damage caused by livestock waste.

如果你可以訓練孩子使用便盆，你也可以對奶牛進行如廁訓練。至少，這是一群德國研究員決定驗證的理論，目標是解決牲畜糞便危害環(huán)境的問題。

"It's usually assumed that cattle are not capable of controlling defecation or urination," said Jan Langbein, co-author of a study published Monday in the journal Current Biology.

這項研究本周一(9月13日)發(fā)表在《當代生物學》期刊上。該研究的合著者揚·朗本說道：“人們通常認為，家畜無法控制大小便。”

Farmed cattle produce roughly 66-88 pounds of feces and 8 gallons of urine each day and are free to relieve themselves where they please. However, the spread of their waste into the soil can have negative effects on the environment.

在農(nóng)場飼養(yǎng)的牲畜每天大約會排出66到88磅糞便和8加侖尿液，而且，他們都是隨地大小便。但是，它們的糞便滲入泥土中會對環(huán)境產(chǎn)生負面影響。

Agriculture is the largest source of global ammonia emissions, and livestock farming makes up more than half of that contribution, the researchers noted in a press release, adding that in Europe, 90% of ammonia emissions come from agriculture.

研究人員在一份新聞稿中指出，農(nóng)業(yè)是全球氨排放的最大來源，其中畜牧業(yè)的氨排放量就占了一半以上。據(jù)稱，歐洲90%的氨排放量來自農(nóng)業(yè)。

While the ammonia produced from cow waste doesn't directly contribute to climate change, when mixed with soil it is converted into nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. It also contaminates the soil and local waterways.

盡管牛糞便中產(chǎn)生的氨氣不會直接導致氣候變化，但是氨和泥土混合后會轉(zhuǎn)化為溫室氣體一氧化二氮。糞便還會污染泥土和當?shù)厮馈?/p>

The main question for Langbein, an animal psychologist at the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Germany, and his team was: "Why shouldn't (cattle) be able to learn how to use a toilet? Animals are quite clever, and they can learn a lot." Langbein said in a statement.

德國農(nóng)場動物生物學研究所的動物心理學家朗本在一份聲明中說道，對于他和他的團隊來說，主要問題在于：“為什么牲畜不能學會如廁?動物們很聰明，也能學習很多東西。”

The team of scientists from FBN and FLI in Germany and the University of Auckland in New Zealand began to potty-train the calves, in a process they called "MooLoo training."

來自德國農(nóng)場動物生物學研究所、弗里茨-利普曼恩研究所和新西蘭奧克蘭大學的科學家團隊開始對牲畜進行如廁訓練，他們將這一過程稱作MooLoo訓練。

In the first phase of training, the cattle were put in a closed latrine. And whenever they urinated, they were given a reward of either electrolyte mixture or crushed barley.

在訓練的第一階段，牲畜被關(guān)在茅廁里。無論何時尿尿，它們都會獲得電解質(zhì)溶液或碾碎的大麥作為獎勵。

"Once they were allowed outside, the calves would go in the toilet to get their reward, but they soon learned that there's only a reward if they urinate." FBN's Neele Dirksen, first author of the study, told CNN.

研究報告的第一作者、農(nóng)場動物生物學研究所的尼爾·德克森告訴美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)稱：“一旦牲畜們被放出來，它們就會進茅廁去找獎勵，但是它們很快就明白，只有在茅廁里尿尿才有獎勵。”

To encourage calves to use the toilets, researchers also came up with a deterrent. "We first used in-ear headphones and we played a very nasty sound whenever they urinated outside," said Langbein. "We thought this would punish the animals, but they didn't care. Ultimately, a splash of water worked well as a gentle deterrent."

為了鼓勵牲畜使用廁所，研究人員也想出了威懾措施。朗本說：“我們一開始給牲畜裝了入耳式耳機，無論何時牲畜在外面尿尿，就會播放很難聽的聲音。我們認為這是對動物的懲罰，但是它們卻不在意。最后我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，用潑水這種溫和的威懾措施效果不錯。”

The calves were trained for 45 minutes every other day. And after 10 training days, the team had managed to successfully train 11 out of the 16 calves involved in the experiment.

研究人員每隔一天就對這些牛進行45分鐘的如廁訓練。在訓練了10天后，參與實驗的16頭牛中有11頭成功學會了如廁。

The results showed that calves performed at a similar level to children when learning to potty-train, and did better than very young children.

研究結(jié)果顯示，牛學習如廁的水平和小孩差不多，而且比幼童表現(xiàn)更好。

The study showed that it is possible to potty-train calves, and Langbein said he hoped that "in a few years all cows will go to a toilet."

研究表明，對牛進行如廁訓練是可行的。朗本表示，他希望“幾年后所有的牛都能學會上廁所。”