Fencing protects livestock from predators, prevents damage to crops and property and allows for proper grazing of pastureland. This technology has been used by ranchers and rangeland managers for decades, but as wildfire frequency and size increase due to climate change, it will be more important than ever to keep livestock away from areas that are likely to burn. Virtual fencing, which uses GPS-enabled collars to deliver audio and electrical cues without the need for physical fences, may be a solution to this challenge.Read more:https://fencefast.ca

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The system involves animals wearing electronics packages that include sensors and a battery to receive RF signals transmitted by cellular networks. A computer application establishes “virtual fences” around each animal’s location on the landscape and sends audio and/or electrical stimulation to the animals if they exceed the boundaries. A virtual fence can be set up to include or exclude specific areas and multiple virtual fences can be sent at different times. The RF signal can also be activated to stimulate herds of livestock to move from one area to another.

This technology has the potential to improve livestock, pasture, and environmental management by reducing labor and costs associated with traditional ground-based fencing systems. However, the use of electric shocks to motivate animals raises significant ethical and welfare concerns. Animals must learn to predict and control the association between audio cues and the electric stimulus in order to avoid being shocked. Failure to do so will result in low predicted pleasure/control (P/C) and states of helplessness, both of which are psychologically stressful for livestock.