Switzerland: Rail company deploys 'lawnmower sheep'
The animals are acting as four-legged lawnmowers
for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), helping to keep the grass along its
tracks tidy, The Local Local website reports.
They're particularly handy on steep embankments, which mechanical
lawnmowers find harder to reach. Switzerland's famous railway system
covers more than 3,000km (1,864 miles) of track, with many routes
crossing mountainous terrain. The sheep are kept safe while they graze
thanks to netting and electrified rope fencing, SBB says on its website. Anyone wanting to follow their progress can do so via an online map, which is updated with the flock's most recent location.
The
company has been singing the praises of its new helpers, who began work
this month. It says the sheep are "superior to conventional lawnmowers"
because they pick what they eat carefully "instead of just mowing
everything down like a machine", sparing many wildflowers. As well as
being environmentally friendly, the animals are extremely efficient,
pausing for only a couple of hours a day to sleep. And the company says,
compared to a standard lawnmower, they're "much more fun to watch!"
