Skip to main content

Wolf depredation on livestock in central Greece

Mammal Research volume 54, pages 11–22 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

We studied wolfCanis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 — livestock conflict in central Greece by investigating patterns of 267 verified wolf attacks on livestock for 21 months. Wolves attacked adult goats 43% and cattle 218% more than expected, whereas sheep 41% less than expected from their availability. Wolves killed less than four sheep or goats in 79%, and one cow or calf in 74% of depredation events, respectively. We recorded higher attack rates during wolf post-weaning season. Wolf attacks on strayed, or kept inside non predator-proof enclosures, sheep and goats, were on average two to four times respectively more destructive than those when livestock was guarded by a shepherd. Sheepdog use reduced losses per attack. Optimal sheepdog number ranged from 3 to 9 animals depending on flock size. Losses per attack were positively related to the number of wolves involved. Total losses per farm were positively correlated with the size of livestock unit but percentage losses per capita increased with decreasing flock size. Management implications to mitigate livestock depredation are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Althoff D. P. and Gipson P. S. 1981. Coyote family spatial relationships with reference to poultry losses. The Journal of Wildlife Management 45: 641–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco J. C., Cuesta L. and Reig S. (eds) 1990. El lobo (Canis lupus) en Espana. Situation, Problematica y apuntes sobre su ecologia. Ministerio de agricultura pesca y alimentation. Icona, Madrid: 1–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanco J. C., Reig S. and Cuesta L. 1992. Distribution, status and conservation problems of the wolfCanis lupus in Spain. Biological Conservation 60: 73–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boitani L. 2000. Action plan for the conservation of wolves in Europe (Canis lupus). Nature and Environment, No 113. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg: 1–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bousbouras D. 1997. Guide to the identification of wounds inflicted on livestock by predators. Arcturos, Thessaloniki: 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley E. H. and Pletscher D. H. 2005. Assessing factors related to wolf depredation of cattle in fenced pastures in Montana and Idaho. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33: 1256–1265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capitani C., Bertelli I., Varuzza P., Scandura M. and Apollonio A. 2004. A comparative analysis of wolf (Canis lupus) diet in three different Italian ecosystems. Mammalian Biology 69: 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciucci P. and Boitani L. 1998. Wolf and dog depredation on livestock in central Italy. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26: 504–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciucci P., Boitani L., Francisci F. and Andreoli G. 1997. Home range, activity and movements of a wolf pack in central Italy. Journal of Zoology, London 243: 803–819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coppinger R. and Coppinger L. 1995. Interactions between livestock guarding dogs and wolves. [In: Ecology and conservation of wolves in a changing world. L. N. Carbyn, S. H. Fritts and D. R. Seip, eds]. Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Alberta, Edmonton: 523–526.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coppinger R., Lorenz J., Glendinning J. and Pinardi P. 1983. Attentiveness of guarding dogs for reducing predation on domestic sheep. The Journal of Range Management 38: 89–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cozza K., Fico R. and Battistini L. 1996. The damage-conservation interface illustrated by predation on domestic livestock in central Italy. Biological Conservation 78: 329–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drivas H. 1996. [Greek sheepdog. A course of race reconstruction]. Cynologia 25: 28–35. [In Greek]

    Google Scholar 

  • ELGA 2003. [Animal insurance regulation. Hellenic Farmers Insurance Organization]. Athens: 1–24. [In Greek]

  • Fico R., Morosetti G. and Giovannini A. 1993. The impact of predators on livestock in the Abruzzo region in Italy. Revue Scientifique et Technique, Office International Epizooties 12: 39–50.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritts S. H. and Mech L. D. 1981. Dynamics, movements and feeding ecology of a newly protected wolf population in northern Minnesota. Wildlife Monographs 80: 1–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritts S. H., Paul W. J., Mech L. D. and Scott D. P. 1992. Trends and management of wolf-livestock conflicts in Minessota. United States Department of the Interior. Fish and Wildlife Service, Resource publication 181, Washington, DC: 1–27.

  • Fritts S. H., Stephenson R. O., Hayes R. D. and Boitani L. 2003. Wolves and humans. [In: Wolves: behavior, ecology and conservation. D. L. Mech and L. Boitani, eds]. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London: 289–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller T. K. 1989. Population dynamics of wolves in North-Central Minnesota. Wildlife Monographs 80: 1–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gazzola A., Bertelli A., Avanzinelli E., Tolosano A., Bertotto P. and Apollonio M. 2005. Predation by wolves (Canis lupus) on wild and domestic ungulates of the western Alps, Italy. Journal of Zoology, London 266: 205–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gazzola A., Capitani C., Mattioli L. and Appolonio M. 2008. Livestock damage and wolf presence. Journal of Zoology, London 274: 261–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gula R. 2008. Wolf depredation on domestic animals in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. The Journal of Wildlife Management 72: 283–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen L. and Smith M. E. 1999. Livestock-guarding dogs in Norway: part II. Different working regimes. Journal of Range Management 52: 312–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper E. K., Paul W. J. and Mech L. D. 2005. Causes of wolf depredation increase in Minnesota from 1979–1998. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33: 888–896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatzirvassanis V. 1991. Observations sut l’etat des populations du loup en Grèce. Biologia Gallo-hellenica 18: 13–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huggard D. J. 1993. Prey selectivity of wolves in Banff National park. I. Prey species. Canadian Journal of Zoology 71: 130–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iliopoulos Y. 1999a. [Distribution and population estimates of the wolf in Greece. Project LIFE “Lycos” NAT97-GR04249: Conservation of the wolf (Canis lupus L.) and its habitats in Greece]. Arcturos, Thessaloniki: 1–53. [In Greek]

    Google Scholar 

  • Iliopoulos Y. 1999b. [Distribution, population estimates and mortality of the wolf in Central Greece. Annual report 1999. Project LIFE “Lycos” NAT97-GR04249: Conservation of the wolf (Canis lupus L.) and its habitats in Greece]. Arcturos, Thessaloniki: 1–19. [In Greek]

    Google Scholar 

  • Iliopoulos Y. 2000. [Distribution, population estimates and mortality of the wolf in Central Greece. Annual report 2000. Project LIFE “Lycos” NAT97-GR04249: Conservation of the wolf (Canis lupus L.) and its habitats in Greece]. Arcturos, Thessaloniki: 1–13. [In Greek]

    Google Scholar 

  • Jędrzejewski W., Jędrzejewska B., Okarma H., Schmidt and Zub K. 2000. Prey selection by wolves in Białowieża primeval forest, Poland. Journal of Mammalogy 81: 197–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaczensky P. and Thomas H. 1994. Wer war es? Dokumentation und identifikation von Raubtierrissen. Zentralstelle Österr. Landesjagdverbände, Wien: 1–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linnell J. D. C., Smith M. E., Odden J., Swenson J. E. and Kaczensky P. 1996. Carnivores and sheep farming in Norway. 4. Strategies for the reduction of carnivore-livestock-conflicts: a review. NINA Oppdragsmelding 443: 1–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattioli L., Capitani C., Avanzinelli E., Bertelli I., Gazzola A. and Apollonio M. 2004. Predation by wolves (Canis lupus) on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in north-eastern Apennine, Italy. Journal of Zoology, London 26: 249–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mech L. D., Harper E. K., Meier T. J. and Paul W. J. 2000. Assessing factors that may predispose Minnesota farms to wolf depredation on cattle. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28: 623–629.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meriggi A., Brangi A., Matteucci C. and Sacchi O. 1996. The feeding habits of wolves in relation to large prey availability in northern Italy. Ecography 19: 287–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meriggi A. and Lovari S. 1996. A review of wolf predation in southern Europe: does the wolf prefer wild prey to livestock? Journal of Applied Ecology 33: 1561–1571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meriggi A., Rosa P., Brangi A. and Matteucci C. 1991. Habitat use and diet of the wolf in northern Italy. Acta Theriologica 36: 141–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Migli D., Youlatos D. and Iliopoulos Y. 2005. Winter food habits of wolves in central Greece. Journal of Biological Research 4: 217–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of the Interior 1999. Population census of Greece-Kapodistrias project.http://www.ypes.gr/kapodistrias/index.html.

  • Nowak S., Mysłajek W. and Jędrzejewska B. 2005. Patterns of wolfCanis lupus predation on wild and domestic ungulates in the Western Carpathian Mountains (S Poland). Acta Theriologica 50: 263–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oftedal O. T. and Gittleman J. L. 1989. Patterns of energy output during reproduction in carnivores. [In: Carnivore behavior, ecology, and evolution. J. L. Gittleman, ed]. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York: 355–378.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Okarma H. 1993. Status and management of the wolf in Poland. Biological Conservation 66: 153–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papaioannou H. I. and Kati V. I. 2007. Current status of the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) in Greece: Implications for conservation. Belgian Journal of Zoology, London 137: 33–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papageorgiou N., Vlachos C., Sfougaris A. and Tsachalidis E. 1994. Status and diet of the wolf in Greece. Acta Theriologica 39: 411–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patalano M. and Lovari S. 1993. Food habits and trophic niche overlap of the wolfCanis lupus L., 1758, and the red foxVulpes vulpes (L., 1758) in a Mediterranean mountain area. Revue d’Ecologie (La Terre et La Vie) 48: 23–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pezzo F., Parigi L. and Fico R. 2003. Food habits on wolves in central Italy based on stomach and intestine analyses. Acta Theriologica 48: 265–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulliainen E. 1965. Studies on the wolf (Canis lupus) in Finland. Annales Zoologici Fennici 2: 215–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robel R., Dayton A. D., Henderson F. R., Meduna R. L. and Spaeth C. F. 1980. Relationships between husbandry methods and sheep losses to canine predators. The Journal of Wildlife Management 45: 894–911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sfougaris A., Papageorgiou N., Giannakopoulos A., Goumas H., Papaevangelou E. and Anni A. 1999. Distribution, populations and habitat of the European hare (Lepus europeus Pallas, 1778) in central and western Greece. Proceedings of the 24th Congress of the International Union of Game Biologists: Agriculture-Forestry-Game: Intergrading wildlife in land management. Thessaloniki: 423–430.

  • Treves A., Jurewicz R. R., Naughton-Treves L., Rose R. A., Willging R. C. and Wydeven A. P. 2002. Wolf depredation on domestic animals in Wisconsin, 1976–2000. Wildlife Society Bulletin 30: 231–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vila C., Urios V. and Castroviejo J. 1995. Observations on the daily activity patterns in the Iberian wolf. [In: Ecology and conservation of wolves in a changing world. L. N. Carbyn, S. H. Fritts and D. R. Seip, eds]. Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Alberta: 335–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vos J. 2000. Food habits and livestock depredation of two Iberian wolf packs (Canis lupus signatus) in the north of Portugal. Journal of Zoology, London 251: 457–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yorgos Iliopoulos

    Present address: Callisto, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society, Mitropoleos 123, 54621, Thessaloniki, Greece

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Callisto, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society, Mitropoleos 123, 54621, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Vaios Koutis & Dimitrios Savaris

  2. Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece

    Yorgos Iliopoulos

  3. Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece

    Stefanos Sgardelis

Authors
  1. Yorgos Iliopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefanos Sgardelis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vaios Koutis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dimitrios Savaris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Associate editor was Krzysztof Schmidt.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Iliopoulos, Y., Sgardelis, S., Koutis, V. et al. Wolf depredation on livestock in central Greece. Acta Theriol 54, 11–22 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193133

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193133

Key words

  • wolf
  • livestock
  • depredation
  • husbandry methods
  • conservation
  • Greece