Impact of Wolf(Canis Lupus)on Animal Husbandry in an Apennine Province

Abstract

Predation has always been an important problem in extensive sheep farms, causing serious economic losses to the farmers. In the Province of Lucca, the presence of reproductive wolf packs has already been confirmed in natural reserves, but occasional signs of presence of the predator have been reported also in neighbouring areas. The present research has been carried out in this Province (between the Orecchiella Natural Reserve and the medium Serchio Valley), in order to obtain more complete information on the location of the wolf (with transects, wolfhowling and snow-tracking), and to verify the real impact and risk factors of predation on livestock (by means of on-farm surveys carried out in 42 semi-extensive farms) in this area. The presence of wolf was confirmed in the study area with a minimum of four adult individuals and at least one pup: this pack lives around the peaks of the Apennines in the municipalities covered by this investigation. A growing conflict between the wolf and the sheep and goat farms was observed: since 2007 there have been 25 attacks and three farms can be considered subject to chronic predation. The major risk factors are high altitude, large flock size and lack of fences and of guardian dogs. An accurate knowledge of wolf presence and the identification of the farms mostly at risk can be useful for future planning of interventions aimed at prevention and support of farmers, in order to mitigate the conflict caused by predation.

Settlement of a stable wolf pack in a highly anthropic area of Pisan hills: Relationship with animal husbandry and hunting in a human–wolf coexistence perspective

“…In this investigation, the farm hit by surplus killing events was located outside pack territory, reinforcing the hypothesis of Gazzola et al (2008) that this phenomenon frequently occurred in areas without a stable presence of wolves therefore with a lower predation risk awareness. As also observed in several studies by Ciucci and Boitani (1998), Gazzola et al (2008), Mattiello et al (2012), and Russo et al (2014), wolf attacks on livestock in this study increased in spring with a peak in March and in late summer–early fall mainly involving farms located in the wolf pack territory. According to Ciucci and Boitani (1998), livestock depredation in Tuscany occurs seasonally, and it is primarily related to livestock accessibility in areas encompassing wolf territories.…”

“…Predation events mainly involved adult sheep with a low number of animals killed during attacks (1 to 3) as also reported by Cozza et al (1996), Ciucci and Boitani (1998), Gazzola et al (2008), andRusso et al (2014). Moreover, the average number of animals killed in each attack recorded in this investigation resulted lower than those reported by Mattiello et al (2012) in Val di Cecina (Tuscany, Italy).…”

“…For all these reasons, the human-modified environments currently play a pivot role for wolf main conservation challenges (Genovesi, 2002;Musto et al, 2021;Viola et al, 2021). The wolf presence and its impact on livestock and wild ungulates depredation have been widely investigated in the Alps and Apennine Mountain areas as well as in the protected areas or national parks (Gazzola et al, 2005(Gazzola et al, , 2008Mattioli et al, 2004;Russo et al, 2014Russo et al, , 2020. However, there is lack of information concerning the distribution of this predator in the hilly and flat human-dominated areas as well as on the impact of wolf-human coexistence on human activities and vice versa.…”

De wolf terug in Nederland : Een factfinding study

“…Afhankelijk van het antipredatorgedrag van soorten of rassen kan er verschil zijn in de kans op predatie en surplus-killing. In Italië vinden bij landbouwhuisdieren aanvallen vooral plaats op schapen en nauwelijks op geiten (Russo et al, 2014).…”

The wolves are back! Local attitudes towards the recently re-populated grey wolf and wolf management in Bükk National Park, Hungary

“…Conversely, from a human-wildlife conflict perspective, wolves are considered 'problematic' animals, chiefly due to the material loss caused by depredation on (often unattended) livestock (Russo et al 2016), and competition for wild game, whether real or perceived. Also, commonly, the perceived fear and risk of wolf attacks on humans is high, especially in areas where wolves have re-appeared after a long period of absence (Linnell 2013).…”