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michaelundinaeichhorn · 18-09-2005, 17:22

Hello Tonje,

there are several European countries with wild wolfes coming back to areas that have been wolf-free for a very long time. We had several sheep killlings here in Germany. Luckily our goverment is (or at least was regarding the votings today) strict in protecting endangered species. Looking back at succesfull wolfprotecting campains in USA and Slowakia lifestock guarding dogs have been introduced to the shepherds and sheeps in our country together with electrical fencing ( in Slowakia and USA they used only the dogs). The results have always been extremly good. Dogs and fences are paid by wolfprotection associations. The wolf is quite accepted in this regions now and the people living in this area have realised that wolfes are very good for touristik puposes. In Slowakia the livestock guarding dogs have been as succesfull. They have been introduced (and in the beginning been paid) by a German association and the shepherds and ranchers are quite happy with the effect, we talked to one of them two years ago and the killings by wolfes and bears went down from about 50 per year to about 2. Lifestock guarding dogs help with bears too so they should work with wolferines. Ray Coppinger who started the projects and research on it in USA was very succesfull too, his experiences have been the reason ist was tried in Europe.
We had dogs and sheeps been killed in Bavaria where we lived till some days ago, actually one of our own sheeps was killed next to our house. What irritates me very much in your description is the way those animals have been killed in Norway. It may be that a dog being attacked by a pack is hurt that way but normal prey is usually killed by one bite in the throat. If a pack is going for them every wolf has its part in catching and therefore biting the animal but the killing is done by biting the throat. The guts are pulled out when the animal is dead. One point you look at if you want to know if a dog or a wolf has killed the animal is looking for the killing method. The way animals have been killed in Norway is typical for feral dogs not wolfs. When Erik Zimen started his Italian research project they found out that very many animals that were reported as wolfkills by farmers hat been killed by everything else, including dogs, but not wolfes.

If your protection societies need contacts to Ray Coppinger or other associations for lifestock guarding projects we can help you with that.

Regards Ina

18-09-2005, 17:22	#37
michaelundinaeichhorn Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bad Dürkheim Posts: 2,249	Hello Tonje, there are several European countries with wild wolfes coming back to areas that have been wolf-free for a very long time. We had several sheep killlings here in Germany. Luckily our goverment is (or at least was regarding the votings today) strict in protecting endangered species. Looking back at succesfull wolfprotecting campains in USA and Slowakia lifestock guarding dogs have been introduced to the shepherds and sheeps in our country together with electrical fencing ( in Slowakia and USA they used only the dogs). The results have always been extremly good. Dogs and fences are paid by wolfprotection associations. The wolf is quite accepted in this regions now and the people living in this area have realised that wolfes are very good for touristik puposes. In Slowakia the livestock guarding dogs have been as succesfull. They have been introduced (and in the beginning been paid) by a German association and the shepherds and ranchers are quite happy with the effect, we talked to one of them two years ago and the killings by wolfes and bears went down from about 50 per year to about 2. Lifestock guarding dogs help with bears too so they should work with wolferines. Ray Coppinger who started the projects and research on it in USA was very succesfull too, his experiences have been the reason ist was tried in Europe. We had dogs and sheeps been killed in Bavaria where we lived till some days ago, actually one of our own sheeps was killed next to our house. What irritates me very much in your description is the way those animals have been killed in Norway. It may be that a dog being attacked by a pack is hurt that way but normal prey is usually killed by one bite in the throat. If a pack is going for them every wolf has its part in catching and therefore biting the animal but the killing is done by biting the throat. The guts are pulled out when the animal is dead. One point you look at if you want to know if a dog or a wolf has killed the animal is looking for the killing method. The way animals have been killed in Norway is typical for feral dogs not wolfs. When Erik Zimen started his Italian research project they found out that very many animals that were reported as wolfkills by farmers hat been killed by everything else, including dogs, but not wolfes. If your protection societies need contacts to Ray Coppinger or other associations for lifestock guarding projects we can help you with that. Regards Ina