In the war against global warming, scientists are decoding more and more sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the key contributor to climate change. Amidst the hunt, the livestock was also found to be contributing hugely to the total emissions – by passing wind! Do you know, 14 percent of these total emissions in Australia come from cattle and sheep’s enteric methane?!
But the solution? Though apparently looks crazy, they have also come up with a great idea – giving the cattle and sheep, kangaroo-style stomachs!
Yes, they have found that some special bacteria living inside the kangaroos’ stomachs help the animals with methane-less flatulence. And the scientists believe the transfer of the bacteria-type to cattle and sheep would help curb the emission of the harmful gas in large quantities.
Queensland Government senior research scientist Athol Klieve said,
If you look at another country such as New Zealand, which has got a much higher agricultural base, they’re actually up around 50 per cent.
Since, bacteria also increase digestive process; this new venture may also potentially save millions of dollars of feed costs for farmers. Thus, if this transformation is successful, the livestock will not only produce no-methane, but also help farmers save about 10 to 15 per cent more energy from the feed they are consuming.