Forest Cows Secrets: Cracking the Code With Movement Sensors

Abstract

Have you ever wondered how we can watch animals in the wild without actually being near them? In Norway, cows roam freely in the deep forest during summer. While the cows enjoy the freedom, it can be tricky to keep them safe from carnivores like wolves and bears, as no shepherds or dogs protect the herds. Keeping an eye on the cows is important! Farmers and researchers use GPS to track animals, just as we do for phones or cars. However, GPS does not tell us much about what the animals are doing. That is where movement sensors come in. These sensors store information about the tiniest body movements and reveal what the animal is doing at any time. Is the cow’s head up or down? Is it walking or running? Based on the data, we could distinguish 20 different behaviors! Now we can spy on cows, see what they are up to in the forest, and help farmers better care for them.