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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sheep owner from South Tyrol, is hired by a Swiss Sheep Owner Association as a shepherdess to herd more than 400 sheep on the Ramuz Alp in the centre of the Calanda wolf pack territory. This wolf pack was first monitored in 2012, and is led by the two adult wolves M30 and F7 (Swiss abbreviations 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. The sheep owner bought her first border collie in 2000 and was hired as a shepherdess for 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 had 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 around 80 hectares was grazed by the sheep. The alp is between 1 600 metres and 2 100 metres in elevation and cannot be reached by vehicle, so all supplies have to be helicoptered in, including 600 kg of dog food for the ten dogs to cover the whole summer season. The alp is divided into ten grazing sectors, and the shepherdess’ 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 hectares and fenced with Flexinets, using natural borders where possible.
420 sheep from 23 owners from 8 different breeds The shepherdess herded approximately 420 sheep, which belonged 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, therefore there was a period of familiarisation for around 2-3 weeks until the sheep respected the dogs. From 2013, the alp has been protected by guard dogs. The shepherdess 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 guard dogs were either specially trained and raised Pyrenees Patou (Pyrenean mountain dog) or Italian Maremma Sheepdogs. These dogs were not owned by the shepherdess or the sheep owners, but were provided by a guard dog breeder.
Guarded at night by Patou and Maremma, trekking more than 20 km During the nights, the sheep were kept in a paddock with two guard dogs inside the fenced area and five dogs patrolling outside the perimeter. GPS monitoring showed that the guard dogs would patrol up to 20 km every night along the perimeter. The fences are the Swiss typical Flexinet electrical fences, which are 90 cm high. Due to the lack of local power, they were normally charged with 2-3 000 volts. The shepherdess 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 the shepherdess 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 one or two attacked the wolves, while the rest stayed and protected the sheep. As part of her morning routine, the shepheress 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, 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 The shepherdess did not lose a single sheep to the Calanda wolf pack in 2016 or 2017. The frequency of wolf visits to the herd decreased yearly, and the shepherdess 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.
Ramuz Alp Elevation Size Grazing Sectors Number of Sheep Breeds of Sheep Dogs
1 600 - 2 100 m.a.s. 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 and shepherdesses
The sheep on one of the grazing sectors
Winter comes early in these high alpine meadows
Playful fighting prepares the guard dogs for the encounter with the wolves
Moving the flock, with the guard dogs in the front and the herding dogs assisting the shepherdess
Border collies waiting for their instructions from the shepherdess
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A guard dog patrolling the outside perimeter of the night paddock
Guard dogs clearing the way ahead of the sheep leaving the night paddock
Resting after a busy night patrolling up to 20 km along the perimeter of the night paddock
The guard dogs are specially trained to work amongst tourists and children
The veterinary log for the sheep treatments against fever, worms, and other illnesses
The grazing log shows how long the herd has been on which sector
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