A special collar has been created by a scientist in Switzerland that will detect when a sheep’s heart rate rises. The increased heart rate that remains raised for a long time is a signal of distress. When a sheep becomes distressed, the collar will send a text message to shepherds.The concept could be used as a replacement for sheepdogs, which are more costly to maintain in a world where just about everyone carries a mobile phone.In a recent trial, the gadget was fitted to to the collars of 12 sheep. When they were exposed to muzzled Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs, the sheep’s hearts jumped from around 60-80 beats per minute to around 230.Dr Landry told the BBC that the first collars would be produced in the autumn.We’re always really interested in the creative uses of SMS. If you’ve got a story we’d love to hear from you, please email [email protected]
