Wolf Depredation on Domestic Animals in the Polish Carpathian Mountains

Abstract

As wolves (Canis lupus) recover in Poland, their depredation on domestic animals is increasing, as have conflicts between wolves and farmers. From 1998 to 2004, I investigated spatial and temporal patterns of 591 verified incidents of wolf depredation in the eastern part of the Polish Carpathian Mountains. The wolf population I surveyed covered an estimated range of 4,993 km2. Depredation occurred over 1,595 km2 of that area. Sheep accounted for 84.8% of domestic animals killed by wolves. Depredation on sheep and number of sheep farms attacked by wolves increased between 1998 and 2004 (r2 = 0.61, P = 0.04 and r2 = 0.89, P = 0.02, respectively). The number of wolf attacks on sheep farms in a given year were negatively correlated to red deer (Cervus elaphus) population numbers (R2 = 0.69, P = 0.02). The amount of depredation caused by each of the 4 monitored packs was best explained by farm density in their territories (R2 = 0.59, P = 0.004). Number of attacks recorded on farms was positively correlated to distance from the farm to the pack's den and rendezvous sites (R2 = 0.16, P = 0.04). Of depredation recorded in the 4 pack's territories I surveyed, 77% occurred in 4 farms with no or inadequate protection. I concluded that wolf depredation in the studied area is opportunistic. Wolf predation intensity is a function of decreasing abundance of red deer, the density of sheep farms, and proximity of farms to the summer activity centers of wolf packs, and it is facilitated by poor husbandry practices. These results can aid in preventing wolf depredation and provide a foundation for a wolf management plan.

How does parental role influence the activity and movements of breeding wolves?

“…Forest, mostly beech (Fagus sylvatica), fir (Abies alba), spruce (Picea abies) and grey alder (Alnus incana), covers 62% of the area. Wolf packs consist of 2-7 individuals and occupy home ranges of 88-229 km 2 (Gula 2008).…”

Wolf Depredation on Livestock in the Pamir

“…Wolf depredation on livestock and its mitigation measures are reported worldwide, especially in North America (e.g., Mussiani et al, 2003Mussiani et al, , 2005Breck and Meier, 2004;Smallidge et al, 2008) and Europe (e.g., Ericsson et al, 2004;Gula, 2008). Detailed information of wolf depredation on livestock in the Pamir, however, is not available.…”

Legal protection of wolves in Poland: implications for the status of the wolf population

“…I collected information on the wolf depredation compensation system and level of wolf-livestock conflicts by evaluating wolf depredation cases for 1998 within the Białystok Province and between 2000 and 2004 in Podkarpackie Province (Gula 2008). I obtained additional information on wolf depredation from published and unpublished reports on file at Provincial Conservation Offices.…”

“…I obtained additional information on wolf depredation from published and unpublished reports on file at Provincial Conservation Offices. I evaluated wolf distribution and numbers using published results from the Białowieża wolf research program (Okarma et al 1998a;Jędrzejewski et al 2000;Theuerkauf et al 2003), a tracking survey by Śmietana and Wajda (1997) in the Bieszczady Mountains, annual Forest Administration animal censuses (unpublished data reports of Forest Administration), a statewide wolf census Jędrzejewski et al 2002;Gula 2008), data of Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences available on (http://www.zbs. bialowieza.pl/), and data from ongoing wolf research conducted in the Bieszczady Mountains (Pirga and Gula 2005;Gula 2008;Theuerkauf et al 2007).…”