A collar fitted to the neck of the sheep will monitor the heart rate of the animal, and if the rate remains elevated for an extended length of time, a text will automatically be sent to shepherds.

After a period of decline, wolves in the Alps are repopulating, and now sheep owners with herds in remote area are facing the loss of greater numbers of sheep. The new device will hopefully allow shepherds to attend to distressed flocks quickly, enabling them to thwart wolves preying on the herd ("Texting Sheep: Baaad News for Wolves," Aug. 6, 2012).