Sheep and other livestock farming has been an important part of land use for centuries. In addition to direct benefits in the form of milk and milk products, meat, wool and the like, it is an important landscaping factor and also a factor affecting local biodiversity. But it also has its problems, especially in mountainous and foothill areas with the occurrence of large carnivores. Wolves and bears, with weak preventive measures, try to improve their diet with easily available food – sheep or other animals. Several cases of attacks on a flock of sheep are also recorded annually on a farm in Turček, where wolves hunt sheep during grazing. Several 100 sheep herds with 1 shepherd and a dog are ideal for hunting in the undulating landscape interwoven with a belt of trees and shrubs following the forest environment of the Kremnica Mountains. To protect the herd, it would be necessary to incorporate at least 2 puppies of large sheep breeds of dogs directly among the sheep, which would grow up directly with the sheep and whose task in the future will be to stand up to protect the herd against wolves or bears. The dogs will be kept free with the herd both during grazing and during night basketing. Experience with this form of herd protection is gathered in Slovakia by WWF representatives, who came at our invitation to present the benefits directly to the farm in Turček. Together with the representative of WWF Slovakia Jerguš Tesák, WWF Austria Raffael Hickisch, employees of the Agrotrade Group, Farma Turček and ŠOP SR, the Administration of the Veľká Fatra National Park, we visited the pastures where the attacks occur, considered the possibilities of protecting the herd and proposed a preliminary solution. Next year, WWF Slovakia will help with the procurement of suitable puppies as well as with practical advice on their upbringing and use. In the location where dogs are used, through which there are also hiking or cycling routes, they will also help with the installation of information panels on herd protection and principles when meeting guard dogs. We believe that the intention will be implemented and in the future we will visit the Turček Farm not for the commission’s investigation of damage caused by large carnivores, but only thanks to sporadic visits by an example of good practice.
Text and photo: Ing. Mária Apfelová
