There are some cows in the world that have a hole in their belly, which looks very different, which has also led to many people's curiosity. Speculating about the purpose of this hole, some people think that the reason why such a hole is designed is mainly for decoration and looks better. So is this really the case? Scientists gave perfect explanations!
In fact, cows with a hole in their stomach are called "hollow cows". Hollow cows are an artificial experiment to learn more about what happens in the cattle's digestive tract and how to maximize milk production. The intubation acts as a porthole-like device that can enter the cow's rumen .
Researchers can study and analyze the digestive system, and veterinarians can transfer the rumen from one cow to the rumen of another cow. This technology was not recently invented. It is understood that in 1928, Dr. Arthur Frederick Schalke of the North Dakota Agricultural College successfully invented this seemingly bizarre technology.
After surgically implanting the cannula, cow will eat grass for a specified time period and then conduct a check. The farmer then removes the plug and removes the mixture of oats and grass from the cow's rumen. Then collects and tests the mixture, and analyzes which forage produces the best results from livestock. Researchers can check the chemical composition of the cow's rumen to determine the impact of various feed and processing methods on cattle digestion.
In addition, the rumen can be checked to determine the specific nutritional value of the cows eating grass. Since the overall health of the cows depends largely on the rumen-intestinal bacteria, these bacteria are difficult to obtain in food, because scientists believe that choosing intubation may be useful for cows if in this case, a healthy intubation cow acts as a donor to the herd, providing healthy bacteria for the recovery of sick cows.
A porthole is placed on one side of a cannulated cow's body to remove the rumenworm to treat the sick cows, and the microorganisms are extracted from the body of a healthy cow through the cannulation. Then, the rumen fluid and microorganisms are transferred to the body of the sick cattle. People can feed the sick cattle with the gastric tube, insert the gastric tube to enhance breathing, reduce the cattle's intestinal flatulence, prevent vomiting and aspiration, and promote internal organ reduction.
Although it sounds like a horrible hole in the cattle tripe, it is actually very safe. Using local anesthesia, the rumen is fixed to the skin and body walls through surgery. The surgery is performed while the cow is standing. The cows were anesthetized before the operation, which lasted for about an hour and they did not feel any pain. The cow has four gastric compartments, the largest of which is the rumen, where most of the digestion of the animals is performed.
is inserted into a cannula, basically a tube made of thick and durable plastic to maintain the surgically formed opening between the rumen and skin while keeping it sealed. For ease of access, a removable lid is included, which can be completed within about four to six weeks.
rumen sutured to the inner lining of the body enables researchers to study the contents of the stomach and examine the digestive process of the cattle. Although animal activists from different countries have condemned the surgical method, however, some supporters claim that the technology can keep the cow's digestive system free of any hindrance and helps other sick recovery, so it can help many cows enjoy a healthy life span of up to 12 to 15 years, and the ability of intubated cows to work like normal cows is unaffected.
According to a statistics, this technology has improved the digestive health of millions of animals, minimized the use of antibiotics, and reduced the emissions of nitrate and methane related to cattle raising. However, according to the Animal Protection Organization, intubation can cause serious harm to cows and is an extremely unethical practice.
In addition, this hollow cow is often exhibited in veterinary school job fairs and even high school activities! Participants were even encouraged to penetrate the cow's stomach with their hands, as if the cow was an inanimate object rather than a conscious animal. Therefore, there is still a lot of controversy as to whether this technology should be fully promoted!
