Biology
Why the wolf preys on domestic livestock?
In an ecosystem, interactions between species are highly complex, so complex that it is not easy to study the relationships between two species by isolating them from their context. Numerous factors, both biotic and abiotic, contribute to regulating the life of species.
The relantionships between predator-prey populations are also complex and shaped by natural selection:
the predator will increasingly specialize in order to capture its prey, while the prey must continually evolve to evade predation.
Furthemore, predator-prey systems are not in static equilibrium, but dynamic: the sizes of the two populations may vary from year to year but remain balanced over the long term. Claw, fangs, paws designed for running, frontal eyes, strong muscles for gripping and attacking, hunting techniques and strategies are all typical elements of predators.
Fast legs, horns, lateral eyes, alert behaviours, alarm signals, and the search for escape routes are some examples of prey specializations.
But when a prey species is bred and selected by humans, the mechanism between prey and predator breaks down… humans select livestock for trails that are advantageous fro breeding: size, fur, milk production, reduced or lack of horns, and so on, to the detriment of those that are useful for escaping predators, which end up getting lost.
In fact, the techniques and structures used for breeding can be fatal for teh “prey”.
For Example, if a wolf enters a sheepfold where the wolf can enter but the sheep cannot leave, the sheep will not be able to escape as prey normaly would in nature, allowing the predator to focus on the older or weaker animal. Instead, they will crowd togheter on one side of the pen, suffocating each other, or run around, triggering the predator to attack and kill the prey.
In these cases, multiple kills sometimes occur, which are extremely rare in nature. In general, between wild and domestic animals, the wolf will choose individuals that are no longer available but rather more accessible, and whose capture requires less energy expenditure.
History
Wolves and guard dogs
Sheep farming has traditionally been one of the main activities of mountain populations for hundreds of years.
Until the early decades of the last century, thousands of sheep filled the pastures with bleating.
The shepherds’ lives were in harmony with the cycle of nture, in the winter near the village with the sheep in the stables, in the summer in the mountain pastures (photo by Matteo Luciani, from the book “Custodi Erranti”), a life often marked by sacrifice and renunciation.
For some, the transhumance routes were veritable journeys of hundreds of kilometers from the mountains to the sea and back again; for others, it was a vertical transhumance, from the village to the surrounding peaks and in the opposite direction.
The sheperd raised sheep for milk, but also for meat, a tradition that is still maintained today in central Italy. The sheperd himself produced ricotta and cheese, intended for sale or for family consumption. The flocks were always grazed by the sheperd, but traditionally the entire family partecipated in the herding.
Sheperds were well versed in techniques for protecting sheep from natural predators, such as wolves and bears. Each locality had its own breed og guardian dog.
Among the many breeds os sheepdogs now endangered, the Abruzzese Sheperd has survived yje centuries and still diligently carries out its work today, raised from a young age alomgside the lambs it will defend as an adult.
Also typical was the “vrecccale”, a large iron collar with sharp points that protected the dog’s neck from wolf bites.
The flocks moved in “morre”, groups of no more than three or four hundred sheep with dogs and sheperds, the right number to keep track of them and protect them from predators.
In the evening, the sheep were returned to the stone pen, where they spent the night safely. Although these techniques are still used in lands where the wolf has never disappeared, in other areas they have been completely lost,
Sheep are almost always left to graze alone, day and night, hubdreds of theme in large pens protected only by barbed wire. In these conditions, it’s easy for wolves to act, as they prey on the most vulnerable an least protected animals, even in the presence of thriving populations of wild ungulates.
Restoring the memory of these traditions is key to a sustainable coexistence between wolves and humans.
Curiosity
The breeding of the guard dogs
Breeding guard dogs begins early: to develop the natural aètitude for livestock inherent in the selected breed, the puppy is born and raised in the stable, in contact with other animals. This way, it develops a bond with the flock, of which it feels a part and which, once grown, it will protect.
Every day, the breeder must visit the stable and monitor the relantionship between livestock and dog, correcting any abnormal behaviour.
The breeding phase lasts several years; only at the end will it be determined wheter the individual is truly suited to the job.