In Austria, Sheep farmers use novel method to protect their flocks from wolf attacks: equip the animals with a kind of modern 'spiny armor'. Contrary to,what does it look like, these protective vests are not made of metal, but made of extremely durable plastic to remain light enough for the sheep.

The device is placed around the sheep's neck, the area that wolves usually target when attacking a herd. Each vest weighs approximately 2 pounds, a weight light enough to allow the animals to continue to move normally in the mountain pastures.

With the return of wolves to several alpine regions, herd attacks are on the rise, prompting some farmers to look for new solutions. Farmers explain that electric fences and guard dogs are not always enough in some hard-to-reach areas. This rigid plastic vest would therefore reduce fatal neck injuries during predator attacks.

The protective vest is a patented invention of Rudolf Schaubach, of a 72-year-old Austrian.