WOLF AT THE DOOR?

The

Cattle on a plateau at 2,300m above sea level by Steve Cracknell

BY STEVE CRACKNELL at the door?

STEVE CRACKNELL DISCUSSES THE PLACE OF WOLVES IN HERDING COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE AND FINDS IT'S NOT ALL HATE FOR THE TRADITIONAL ENEMY

The last known grey wolf in Ireland was killed in 1786. What would happen if the species were to return? Ecologically speaking, as a top predator the wolf would again become a key element of the ecosystem. A whole new waterfall of effects would come into being, powered by the ‘trophic cascade’: animals at the top of the food chain eat those lower down. The splashes have far-reaching consequences.

As a carnivore that often hunts in packs, wolves are capable of harrying big herbivores. Old and sick animals are eliminated, improving the health of the prey herd. Moreover, the simple presence of wolves keeps prey species away. Trees grow. In the absence of wolves, we humans have become the top predators, shaping the environment to our own design. Is it time to take a step back?

Certainly, the European Union thinks so. Wolves have been protected by the EU Habitats Directive since 1992. The relict populations in eastern Europe, Italy and north-west Spain have been exploring new territory. Soon, wolves will be howling everywhere in continental Europe. Indeed, a wolf has recently been seen in north-west France. In the event of it buying a ticket for Rosslare what would the reception committee be like?

To find out, I’ve been asking shepherds in France and Italy what they think about the return of their traditional enemy. These are shepherds who see wolves on a regular basis, but it’s not all hate.

One of the shepherds I interviewed is from a farming family in the French Massif Central. In summer, Olivier Maurin combines forces with his neighbours for the four months of the transhumance. This seasonal movement of livestock to the pastures at the top of Mont Lozère (1,700m) optimises grazing resources. It’s a long tradition, and the pastures are now part of a World Cultural Heritage site. According to the listing: ‘Mont Lozère… is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practised in the traditional way.’ Three millennia of cultural history have been written onto the landscape.

However, ten years ago, the first of the new wolves arrived. Before that date, one shepherd looked after the flock; now three are needed. Yet, despite this, sheep are still killed. One year, fifteen died in a single incident. It’s not a financial problem because the compensation covers that, Olivier told me. It’s the stress, trying to protect the sheep, knowing another attack is coming.

The day I was there, one of the shepherds had just seen a wolf and fired to frighten it. To kill it would have been illegal, I was told. I followed Olivier through the heather and scrub into the woods, rounding up the 2,600 sheep into the fold for safety. The mist came down quickly and we only located the last few stragglers by the sound of their bells.

I asked Olivier why he didn’t employ the governmentrecommended livestock guardian dogs instead of guns to protect his sheep. He replied: “if we had guardian dogs here, we would already have been in court.” Several thousand walkers a year cross the pastures. Legs just waiting to be bitten. Farmers elsewhere were being prosecuted.

As far as Olivier was concerned, sheep would be safer nearer the farm; the arrival of wolves was a threat to the transhumance system. Yes, sheep and wolves coexisted until the 1930s but, according to Olivier, today’s shepherds cannot tolerate any additional constraints.

In contrast, in Italy, I met a shepherd with a different attitude. Like Olivier, Giulio Petronio is from a farming family. When I asked him how many of his 2,300 sheep he lost to wolves, he put his thumb and forefinger together to make a circle. Zero, he told me, smiling. In the previous three years he had lost zero sheep to predators. There are 120 wolves here in the Gran Sasso in Abruzzo, a much higher population density than on Mont Lozère. Giulio attributed his success to his five shepherds and twenty-five livestock guardian dogs. Another factor must be the open landscape where the sheep are kept. Any wolf poking its nose out of the surrounding forest is quickly spotted.

However, it is not only dogs that mark the difference between the two shepherds’ attitudes. Olivier was brought up in the dark shadow of the Bête du Gévaudan – probably two wolf–attack-dog hybrids. They caused over eighty deaths in Lozère in the 1760s. In contrast, where Giulio was brought up, bears and wolves are used to attract tourists.

Having interviewed these and many other shepherds about wolves, I have come to recognise that each valley, each farm, each farmer has a different history. The farmer’s attitude to nature depends on a myriad of details. As Caroline Crowley suggested in the last issue of Irish Wildlife (p. 30), let’s listen to them.

Spanish Wolf. Photo: Neo Rodan/iStock "Mont Lozère… is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practised in the traditional way."

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