I love stuff like this...

[Bogweevil]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 7, 2020) It may seem peculiar at first sight, but painting zebra stripes on domestic cattle has the potential to significantly reduce the livestock industry’s use of toxic pesticides, according to research published last year by Japanese scientists at the Aichi Agricultural Research Center in Nagakute, Japan. Each year, farmers spend an estimated $1.6 billion on pesticides in the livestock industry, while biting flies cause over $2 billion of economic loss. This clever example of applied ecology could change those numbers with the added benefit of a safer environment.

There is bound to be someone on TFF who has tried this, probably in Devon...

 

[Cab-over Pete]

It wouldn’t be any good where lions are a problem though.

Granted, Devon is hardly overrun with lions, but then if the lions see zebras all over the place they might be tempted to move in.

 

[TripleSix]

The butcher's shop in a local village owned a field across the road.
Home to a couple of horses.
One day one of the horses was sporting a zebra print rug.

Butcher received a few phone calls that week asking if he was now selling zebra meat!

 

[Bogweevil]

Surprising number of lions in West Country. Used to know of one in Yeovil, kept as a pet by shop owner in back of shop, fed on unwanted bull calves (dead calves of course). Yeovil not so far from Devon...

 

[Cab-over Pete]

You see, I thought so!

 

[Sid]

It wouldn’t be any good where lions are a problem though.

Granted, Devon is hardly overrun with lions, but then if the lions see zebras all over the place they might be tempted to move in.

I, my father, my grandfather and great grandfather all have spread salt around sold to us by a gypsy family. We haven't seen a lion round these parts for years......didn't seem to keep the beast of exmoor away. But then that isnt a lion.

 

[David.]

Old boy who owned the now defunct Southam Zoo used to ride around in a car, with a lion sat in the rear passenger seat.

 

[br jones]

Does it aid the butchery ,...

 

[farmerm]

There was something similar reported last year regarding reduced fly problems for horses if you put a zebra striped cover on them... Same principle. I wonder if stripped jumpers on sheep work too..

 

[Henarar]

Surprising number of lions in West Country. Used to know of one in Yeovil, kept as a pet by shop owner in back of shop, fed on unwanted bull calves (dead calves of course). Yeovil not so far from Devon...

I remember that, shop down the bottom of town
someone up on the hill is losing big lambs to the black beast of the blackdowns

 

[betweenthelines]

Zebras have a role to play in future cattle breeding. Ideal for crossing.

As are pelicans

 

[Poorbuthappy]

View attachment 852270

(Beyond Pesticides, January 7, 2020) It may seem peculiar at first sight, but painting zebra stripes on domestic cattle has the potential to significantly reduce the livestock industry’s use of toxic pesticides, according to research published last year by Japanese scientists at the Aichi Agricultural Research Center in Nagakute, Japan. Each year, farmers spend an estimated $1.6 billion on pesticides in the livestock industry, while biting flies cause over $2 billion of economic loss. This clever example of applied ecology could change those numbers with the added benefit of a safer environment.

There is bound to be someone on TFF who has tried this, probably in Devon...

Not quite Devon but my daughter tells me there was some Bristol uni linked research on this?