European Wilderness Society RAMUZ Alp: Herding sheep in the living room of the Calanda Wolf pack
2018 Š European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org
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strid, a sheep owner from South Tyrol, is the shepherdess hired by a Swiss Sheep Owner Association to herd more than 400 sheep in the centre of the Calanda Wolfpack territory. This wolf pack was first monitored in 2012, and is led by the two adult wolves M30 and F7 (Swiss abbreviation for the wolves monitored). The pack on average consists of 7-10 wolves and its territory is the Calanda mountain range between St. Gallen and Graubünden, bordering the city of Chur in the south. Astrid bought her first border collie in 2000 and was hired as a shepherdess the first time in 2008. She completed the Swiss Shepherd training and certification, which has a special focus on herd management in the presence of wolves. Prior to her experiences on the Ramuz Alp she has never worked with guard dogs before.
A high alpine alp only reachable by helicopter and foot She was the shepherdess on the Ramuz alp in 2016 and 2017. The alp is leased by the Zürich Regional Sheep Breeding Association and covers approximately 130 hectares, of which approximately 80 hectares was grazed by the sheep. The alp is between 1600 metres and 2100 metres in elevation and cannot be reached by car or tractor, so all supplies were helicoptered in, including 600 kg of dog food for the ten dogs for the whole summer season. The alp is divided into 10 grazing sectors, and Astrid’s daily routine involved moving the herd from one sector to another for grazing every 5-7 days, depending on the available grass. Each sector is approximately 8 ha and fenced with Flexinet, and used natural borders where possible.
420 sheep from 23 owners from 8 different breeds Astrid herded approximately 420 sheep, which derived from up to 23 sheep farmers, from May until September. The herd consisted of typical Swiss sheep breeds including Brown-headed mutton, Swiss White Alpine mutton, Swiss Texel sheep, moorland sheep, and the Lamon sheep. The sheep were not accustomed to work with herding or guard dogs, and therefore there was a period of familiarisation for around 2-3 weeks until the sheep respected the dogs. Beginning in 2013, the Alp has been protected by sheep guard dogs. Astrid used her own three border collies to assist her in her daily chores of moving
and herding the sheep, plus an additional seven guard dogs to protect the herd. The guarding dogs were either specially trained and raised Pyrenees Patou (Pyrenean mountain dog) or Italian Maremma Sheepdogs. These dogs were not owned by Astrid or the sheep owners but were provided by a guard dog breeder.
Guarded at night by Patou and Maremma trekking more then 20 km During the nights the sheep were kept in a paddock with two guard dogs within the fenced area and five patrolling outside the perimeter. GPS monitoring showed that the guard dogs would patrol up to 20 km every night along the perimeter. The fences were the Swiss typical Flexinet electrical fences, which were 90 cm high. Due to the lack of local power, they were normally charged with 2-3 000 volts. Astrid set up the Flexinet fences herself, a task which took between 30 and 45 minutes. The night paddock was moved every 3-4 nights. The wolves regularly approached the night paddock. The guard dogs and the sheep worked in unison to warn each other of their presence, and Astrid could recognise the tone and pitch of the howling guard dogs to determine the presence of a wolf. The guard dogs worked in a team, where 1-2 attacked the wolves while the rest stayed and protected the sheep. As part of her morning routine, Astrid opened the night paddock, at which point the guard dogs raced ahead to check if there were any wolves lingering in the surrounding area. During the day, the herding dogs kept the sheep in a tight flock together while the guard dogs rested. The guard dogs accompanied the herd wherever they roamed for the protection of the sheep, them but they did not keep the flock together. The herding dogs and the guard dogs cooperated peacefully.
Not a single sheep lost to the wolves Astrid did not lose a single sheep to the Calanda Wolfpack in 2016 or 2017. The frequency of wolf visits to the herd decreased yearly, and Astrid is certain that the Calanda Wolf pack has learned that the Ramuz herd is well protected and that deer and wild boar are much easier prey.
Ramus Alp Elevation Size Grazing Sectors Number of Sheep Breeds Dogs
1600-2100 130/80 ha grass meadows 10 sectors plus two huts 420 8 3 Border Collies, 7 Patou / Maremma Guard Dogs
Augstberg 1: 21 ha, Augstberg 2: 10 ha, Augstberg 3: 7 ha, Augstberg 4: 10 ha, Lavaz: 16 ha, Simel: 12 ha, Salzplatz: 4 ha, Bödeli: 6 ha, Hütte 1: 10 ha, Hütte 2: 4 ha
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The shepherd hut was renovated in 2012 to accommodate for the return of the shepherds
The sheep on one of the grazing sectors
Winter comes often in these high alpine meadows
Preparing for the fight with the wolves
Moving the flock with the guard dogs in the front and the herding dogs assisting Astrid
Border Collies waiting for their action
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A guard dogs patrolling the outside perimeter of the night paddock
The guard dogs clearing the way ahead of the sheep leaving the night paddock
Catching up from a busy night patrolling up to 20km along the perimeter of the night paddock
The guard dogs are specially trained to work with tourists and children
The veterinary log since the sheep are now treated against fever, worms. and other illnesses
The grazing log
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