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Cows Exposed To VR, Increases Milk Yield

A farmer in Turkey decided to use high tech headgear to improve the milk yield from his cows that are bred in captivity. Izzet Kocak claims that the move is paying off as he’s seeing a significant increase in his cows’ milk production from 22 litres to 27 litres a day.

The cows are shown meadows through the virtual reality (VR) goggles.

“They are watching a green pasture and it gives them an emotional boost. They are less stressed,” – Izzet Kocak

Izzet has been in the cattle business since 2018 in the central Turkish province of Aksaray. He’s been ambitiously working on improving the milk yield from his 180 cattle. 

According to Izzet, he previously tried to use classical music to soothe his cows but he preferred using the VR headsets as it impressed him with how quickly it worked.

Netizens were both impressed and concerned by the impact of the VR goggles on the cows.

There are always pros and cons to mixing technology and biology.

Metaverse is the new Matrix.

Some mentioned that it was an act of exploitation.

And here we have quite the opportunist.

“We are looking for alternative ways to boost the yields as the feed, hay prices increase. I heard they were using these headsets in Russia and decided to try it here. I observed them for ten days and found out that both the quality and amount of the milk increased,” – Izzet for Anadolu Agency

The study was first conducted in Moscow where cattles were fitted with a custom made VR headset showing a unique summer field simulation program. Moscow’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food cited research that showed a link between cows’ emotional experience and it’s milk yield.

Source: National Post

The headsets were used to reduce the anxiety the cows faced

“Examples of dairy farms from different countries show that in a calm atmosphere, the quantity, and sometimes the quality, of milk increases markedly,” – Spokesperson from the Ministry, quoted on BBC news.

VR for animals research has been done for quite some time now. Researchers from Germany and Austria developed technology that places certain animals in VR systems which allows the animals to roam freely for them to study and understand their social interactions and behaviours.

The technology is believed to be able to show how animals learn their environment and the impact it has on them. 

It was first used on lab mice, zebra fish and fruit flies. Initially, the research was done to test the efficacy of anti-anxiety drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies.

Reporter’s Opinions: The environment has a big impact on the living organisms that live in it. 

Tree Help GIF by Barbara Pozzi - Find & Share on GIPHY

Animals bred in captivity can be depressed especially when the simulated habitat is nothing like their natural habitat.

Cow Field GIF by Mercy For Animals - Find & Share on GIPHY

But it’s interesting to note that VR technology has the same relaxing effect on animals the way it does on humans. Only difference is we use VR to escape the reality we’re living in.

Virtual Reality Computer GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

It does feel like the Matrix all over again. It inspires both awe and fear to be honest.

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Chap Chai

Written by Chap Chai

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