Why Are These Brazilian Sheep Wearing Diapers? There's An Explanation For That

It may look like a clever prank or part of a marketing/advertising stunt, but diaper-wearing sheep really do exist in Brazil.

Those photos are a result of Brazilian researchers having fit sheep with diapers as part of a study to help maximise farm production like milk.

According to a report by the Daily Mail UK, the sheep are also fitted with microphones to monitor the amount of grass they eat, while the diapers collect the animal's urine and faeces to see how much grass has been ingested.

The animals roam in an area that contains the Axonopus Catharinensis hybrid grass in three different lengths: short, medium and long. The shortest is 25cm, while the longest is 35cm.

Lead researcher Fábio Garagorry told the news portal that the method will help them identify the height of the grass which will help in maximum milk production.

"The intention is to tell breeders the best height that the grass should be as part of the management of their livestock.

"Knowing this will help them increase the weight gain of the animal, the kilogram of live weight per hectare and the daily production of milk," he was quoted as saying.

According to Garagorry, optimising the height of the grass can increase the sheep's efficiency and productivity by "at least 30 per cent".

Who would've thought, right?

The news report suggested that the study is expected to be completed by October this year.

The researchers are hoping that this rather unorthodox study would help provide a "reliable formula for improving the farming industry's earnings."