Megan Hutchinson
Staff Reporter
Scientists are training animals to use specific toilets in order to manage waste production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are concluding that cows can be just as easy to potty-train as a toddler, if not easier. For example, they gathered that 11 out of 16 cows had learned to use the “MooLoo” when they had to go. According to Market Watch, “the researchers used a sweet treat to coax the cows to push through a gate and urinate in a special pen. And it took only 15 days to train the young calves. Some kids take quite a bit longer.”
A study published in the journal, Current Biology, explains the science behind the environmental concern, “Urine contains nitrogen, and when mixed with feces becomes ammonia, which is an environmental issue with acid rain and other problems... It can also taint the water with nitrates and create the airborne pollutant nitrous oxide.” A single cow can produce up to eight gallons of urine a day. In 2019, studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, nitrous oxide composed 7 percent of the U.S. greenhouse gases.
A lab in Dummerstorf, Germany used the same techniques to train a cow as you would a child or even a dog. They would put the cow into a special pen, wait for it to urinate, and then reward it with a treat, mostly molasses. However, if the cows urinated outside of the “MooLoo” they would be squirted with cold water as their “punishment”. When the cows needed to urinate, they found 11 of them would push into the pen, do their business, and receive their reward. However, the cows did not excrement in the pen because urine is a bigger problem. But, they predicted they would be able to eventually train cows to excrement in a specific place. With the advancement in science, we have a positive future to come by creating environmental sustainability and managing harmful waste production.
Image Credit: Wix Images
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