'Scary' eyes painted on to African cows' bottoms are the secret weapon in a fight to deter lions from attacking cattle and being killed in retaliation by farmers. The painted eyes supposedly trick the big cats into thinking they have been seen by the cows, which deters them from attacking.
"Lions and other big cats are 'ambush' predators, which means they rely on the element of surprise to bring down their prey. Once they lose that element of surprise, once they're seen by their prey, then tend to give up on the hunt" - Dr Neil Jordan.
