GPS tracking technology to ensure animal welfare.

GPS tracking technology to ensure animal welfare,because animal welfare on huge range-lands is a challenge. Researchers are now collaborating to find ways to help ranchers better manage livestock and improve animal welfare. Researchers in Australia are very close to having real-time or near real-time GPS tracking of livestock. Derek Bailey, professor in the New Mexico State University Department of Animal and Range Sciences, is working to find ways to help such ranchers better manage their livestock and improve animal welfare.His efforts include collaborating with researchers in Australia, where the rangeland is similar to that in New Mexico and other western states. On rangelands in New Mexico, in the western United States and in most of Australia, ranchers have extensive pastures on which they can't see the livestock all the time, the cows have to free -roam out in the range, so you can't watch them. The GPS device would be affixed to a collar that would send a signal to a nearby tower, potentially up to 10 miles away from the animal. That data would be collected and transferred to the ranch headquarters. Ideally, the information would be sent via the internet to a smartphone application.