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Judas goat

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Sheep are followers. But what if they were following… a traitor?

In some stockyards, “Judas” goats are trained to lead a flock of sheep or herd of cattle to slaughter. Of course, the goat itself doesn’t die. They lead the herd knowing that they’ll be fine. The unsuspecting sheep are another story.

The Judas goats aren’t only used to round up stock destined for immediate death. Another variation from the Galápagos involves painting a sterilised goat red, attaching a transmitter, and releasing it to find feral goat herds out in the wild. The Wikipedia article also mentions Judas camels in Australia and Judas raccoon dogs in Europe.

 

Categories: Food & agriculture Plants & animals Sciences

The Generalist

I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and am curious about most things.

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