Wolf (Canis lupus) predation on ovine Zerasca breed in Massa-Carrara province.
During the last decades, wolf has become one of the main threats for extensive sheep and goat farms, causing frequent and serious problems in term of production and economy. After several investigations in various Tuscany provinces, we directed our attention at the municipality of Zeri (Massa-Carrar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
2015
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11568/785268 http://www.ufaw.org.uk/ufaw-events/ufaw-international-symposium |
| Summary: | During the last decades, wolf has become one of the main threats for extensive sheep and goat farms, causing frequent and serious problems in term of production and economy. After several investigations in various Tuscany provinces, we directed our attention at the municipality of Zeri (Massa-Carrara), as local farmers complain frequent attacks and loss of particularly valuable animals belonging to the indigenous sheep Zerasca. This breed is under the protection of Slowfood and it is crucial in supporting the incomes of families living in disadvantaged and marginal areas. To gather information on the characteristics of predation events, possible risk factors and preventive measures in sheep farms, and to understand farmers’ attitude towards the problem, sixteen farmers were interviewed. Our results show that all farms move from lower altitudes (650-1000 metres a.s.l.) in winter to upper summer ranges (750-1400 metres a.s.l.). Flock size ranges from 29 up to 355 animals. Most farms adopted some preventive measures: all have night shelters but only 56% have anti-wolf night fences in winter locations, and only one in summer range. Only 32% of farms have guardian dogs, but their number is often too low to guarantee an effective protection. Due to these insufficient preventive measures, predation has been showing a growing trend, with peaks in 2007 and 2010, especially when sheep are in summer ranges. The majority of the predation events occur during daytime, as at night the animals are usually confined in special shelters, and during the rendez-vous period (June-October). Although famers tend to blame the wolves for these attacks, the confirmation of responsibility was demonstrated in very few cases, especially because predation events are seldom officially reported and, therefore, inspections by State veterinarians rarely occur. Official complaints are often avoided, in order to save the costs of carcass disposal, and therefore there is a lack of official data on the phenomenon. Our survey highlighted that all the ... |
|---|