Quiet observation has been a preferred method for studying wild animals for years. Now, University of California scientists are using the same technique to study the behavior of domestic cattle on Madera County rangeland.

Cow's are known to prefer grazing in swales low areas close to water where there's almost always high forage production. However, their trampling and droppings could contribute to water quality problems. Ranchers efforts to tempt them away with sweet molasses supplements and troughs of cool, flowing water in other parts of the range appear to be effective. UC scientists want to know why.

"If we understand what triggers animal behavior, we're better equipped to manipulate that behavior," said Neil McDougald, livestock and range advisor for UC Cooperative Extension in Fresno and Madera counties.

McDougald and colleagues UC Davis extension specialist Mel George and Oregon State graduate student Norman Harris have been lingering among bull pines, coffee berries and Valley oak trees 24 hours at a time carefully chronicling the activity of 30 cattle in two fenced areas at the San Joaquin Experimental Range, north of Fresno on Highway 41.

In the summer the scientists suffer 100-degree-plus afternoons with only broken shade and a ice chest stocked with sodas to cool them down. In the winter they endure long nights with temperatures close to freezing. Summer and winter, the overnight hours have them struggling to stay awake and scrambling over dark, rugged hills with flashlights to beam off the cows' reflector-tagged ears.

The cows' meandering from tree shade to water trough, their every bawl, moo and low, their taste for molasses supplements and their grazing habits are recorded on video tape by the scientists every 15 minutes.

The study began in the summer of 1997. Six 24-hour periods in July were monitored, then six in January 1998. Six days were covered in July 1998, and the final six are scheduled for January 1999. The 24-hour periods follow by three or more days a change in feed or water location. Already, the cows' habits are beginning to emerge.

"The pattern of animal use shifted dramatically toward supplemental feeding sites," McDougald said. "Small riparian patches used before and after supplement was made available were not used during supplementation."

But that's not all the scientists have learned. Typically, McDougald said, cows hang out together and one appears to take on a leadership role. In the summer, they start the morning ruminating in a favorite shady area. Later in the day, they head for a ridge, perhaps to take advantage of late afternoon breezes. Over night they graze their way back to their morning spot, completing a circular route rather than retracing their steps.

However, their habits still confound observers. Last month, despite extremely high temperatures, the cows seem to be staying lower, avoiding the highest, and coolest, ridges. Often a splinter faction goes off in its own direction. The scientists remain with the largest group of animals. In a herd observed last year, one cow was a distinct loner, always keeping her distance from the others.

Although on the surface, the cow observation techniques don't appear high tech, the scientists are using the latest in Global Positioning System technology available. GPS allows for precise mapping of the range units involved in the study, so in evaluating the data collected on the range, they can precisely plot the cows' movement on maps that show slope, altitude and location.

If a grant comes through, GPS detectors will be attached to the cows themselves, eliminating the need for constant observation and allowing the scientists to track all animals, even those that choose to drift off by themselves.

Jeannette Warnert
Public Information Representative
Ag and Natural Resources
UC Center
550 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710