Stray voltage

Have you ever walked across the carpet in your socks and then zapped someone when you touched them? That zap is electricity, just like when you turn on a light switch or watch TV. Sometimes, electricity can escape from wires and get into things it's not supposed to, like the ground or other things near those wires. We call that escape "stray voltage."

Stray voltage often happens when there are lots of electrical wires and things like that in one place. If a cow or a horse is standing in that place, they might feel a small shock if the stray voltage gets into their body. It's like if you touch a doorknob after walking across the carpet – the electricity in your body has to go somewhere and sometimes it leaves you and zaps someone or something else.

Farmers and people who work with animals have to be careful about stray voltage because it can make the animals sick or upset. They can check to make sure the wires are fixed properly and not touching other things they shouldn't be touching to prevent stray voltage from happening.