Tiger poo is an effective new weapon in warding off animal pests, scientists said Wednesday, after years of experimenting with big cats’ feces collected from Australian zoos.
A team from the University of Queensland made the discovery as they researched non-lethal ways to keep herbi-vores, such as goats and kangaroos, away from certain plants, Associate Professor Peter Murray said.
While such repellents are typically based on offensive smells like rotten eggs, blood or bone, using tiger poo came from the idea that “if you can smell a predator nearby you would probably want to go somewhere else,” he said.
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
Murray and his team, who have worked on the project for eight years, conducted tests on goats in a small paddock, placing the feces taken from local zoos near a feeding trough and monitoring events with a video camera.
They found big cats’ feces a more effective deterrent than those of other predators.
“The goats really didn’t like it. They wouldn’t go near the trough,” Murray told AFP. He said old goat carcasses also proved effective in warding off goats, but the smell was so bad that it made the scientists feel sick.
Photo: EPA 照片：歐新社
The researchers also found that the feces worked best as a deterrent when the tiger had been fed the animal being targeted.
“There’s not only a chemical signal in the feces that says ‘Hooley dooley, this is a dangerous animal’, it’s ‘Hooley dooley, this is a dangerous animal that’s been eating my friends’,” Murray explained.
The scientist said a number of species showed similar reactions to the feces, and he believed that with more funding, a synthetic tiger poo smell could be developed and potentially turned into a commercial product.
(AFP)
多年來針對澳洲動物園大型貓科動物糞便做實驗的科學家週三表示，老虎屎是驅避（對某些植物）有害蟲獸的一項新武器。
副教授彼得‧穆瑞說，「昆士蘭大學一個團隊的這項新發現，是用非致命的方式驅離像是山羊、袋鼠等草食性動物。」
他說，一般慣用的是臭雞蛋、血液或骨頭等具有強烈氣味的元素製成驅避劑，而使用老虎屎是從「若你聞到附近掠食性動物的氣味，你可能會想要到其他地方去」的觀點而來。
穆瑞與進行此計畫八年的團隊，在一個小牧場內對山羊進行試驗，將從當地動物園取得的糞便放置在餵養槽附近，並以攝影機全程監視。
他們發現，大型貓科動物的糞便當作遏止物比其他的掠食性動物的糞便更有效。
穆瑞告訴法新社說，「山羊真的不喜歡它。他們不願靠近餵食槽。」他說，老山羊的屍體也能驅離山羊，不過這個臭味使得科學家們難耐想吐。
科學家也發現特別是吃過要驅避動物的老虎屎，其驅避效果最佳。
穆瑞解釋說，「糞便不僅傳遞化學信號（讓驅避動物）說，『我的媽呀，這是個危險的動物』且『哇，這是隻已經吃下我朋友的危險動物。』」
科學家說有一些物種也出現類似的反應，且他相信在更多經費注入後，可能研發出合成的老虎屎氣味，並且有潛力改良成為一種商品。
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
A: A mint Labubu doll was sold for a record 1.08 million Chinese yuan — or about US$150,300 — at an auction. B: That much for a doll? That’s insane. A: The character of toy company Pop Mart has sparked a global frenzy thanks to celebrity endorsements, like pop diva Rihanna and Blackpink member Lisa. B: Where can we admire all the Pop Mart dolls? A: The world’s third Pop Mart flagship store is located in Taipei’s Ximending area. Let’s go together. A: 一個薄荷色的「拉布布」玩偶在拍賣會上，拍出108萬人民幣天價、高達15萬美元！ B: 一個玩偶？這也太瘋狂啦。 A: 這個泡泡瑪特玩具公司旗下的角色正在全球掀起狂熱，而這都要感謝天后蕾哈娜、Blackpink的Lisa等名人的加持。 B: 哪裡可以看到泡泡瑪特推出的公仔啊？ A: 全球第三家泡泡瑪特旗艦店就在台北西門町，我們去逛逛吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: What are some of the hottest auction items other than the Labubu doll? B: NBA player Stephen Curry’s basketball card, actress Jane Birkin’s Hermes “Birkin bag,” and Princess Diana’s dresses also attracted robust bidding recently. A: How much can a trading card cost? B: Curry’s Paris Olympics autograph card was sold for US$518,500, or NT$15.3 million. A: Wow, it broke the record held by MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani’s baseball card. That’s amazing. A: 除了 「拉布布」玩偶以外，還有哪些熱門拍賣品？ B: NBA球星史蒂芬柯瑞的球卡、女星珍柏金的原版愛馬仕「柏金包」、戴安娜王妃的禮服最近都引發競標。 A: 一張卡片能有多貴啊？ B: 哈這張印著柯瑞在巴黎奧運的簽名卡，拍出51萬多美元天價、高達台幣1,530萬！ A: 哇他打破了MLB球星大谷翔平球卡的紀錄，真是令人驚奇。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The traditional five-day workweek was introduced around a century ago and has since become the standard, along with punching in at 9am and leaving at 5pm. Recently, however, challenges to this formula have been increasing, particularly among young people. In the UK, 200 British companies have changed gears and decided to adopt a permanent four-day workweek for their employees. The new schedule will not cause any loss in pay, which is expected to result in greater employee satisfaction. Among those leading the charge for the new model are charities, marketing firms, and technology companies. Advocates of the policy say
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang According to supporters, a four-day workweek is an effective way for companies to attract and keep employees. Productivity can even be improved by achieving the same output in fewer hours. The primary workforce of the future, adults between the ages of 18 and 34, are strong supporters of this pattern. More than three-quarters of them believe a four-day workweek will become common practice in five years, while 65 person say they reject a return to full-time office work. This group considers mental health and general well-being as their top priorities, and it seems certain that they will be
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