Full
Text Scientific Articles
Search
our Bibliography
Search
for full-text articles or abstracts by L. David Mech
 |
|
Beyond 2000:
Realities of Global Wolf Restoration
23-26 February 2000
Duluth, Minnesota USA
Marco Musiani, Elisabetta Visalberghi, CNR Psychology Institute,
Department of Comparative Psychology, Via Aldrovandi 16b, 00197
Rome, Italy; Luigi Boitani, Department of Animal and Human Biology,
Universite di Roma "La Sapienza", Viale dell'Universite 32, 00185
Rome, Italy
A technique known as fladry was traditionally used to hunt
wolves in Eastern Europe and Russia. It consists of driving wolves
into an enclosure formed by 50 x 10 cm red flags hanging from ropes.
The technique has been employed to livetrap wild wolves in Poland.
The aim of our pilot study was to see whether five captive wolves
living in two enclosures (120 m2 and 850 m2) at the Rome Zoo were
responsive to the device. In particular, we explored the effectiveness
of variations in design attributes (between-flag distance; rope
height; scent; flag movement and colour). We also tested the effectiveness
of fladry to constrain wolf movement into portions of the
enclosures and to prevent wolves from accessing food.
We found that avoidance was maximal when flags were less than
50 cm apart and their bottom edge was at ground level. With this
design, wolves never crossed red flags (nor grey ones of the same
brightness) intersecting their usual stereotyped routes (baseline:
4.08 +/- 3.11 SD crossings along the routes per min). Flags were
not crossed even when the daily food ration was placed on the opposite
side. In contrast, some crossing occurred when flag distances were
75 cm or more, or rope height was less than 25 cm or more than 75
cm, although wolves avoided these barriers and switched to less
preferred routes (p < 0.0032, X2 > 8.67, df = 1). Disturbance
(visual and/or related to scent) present when we dug holes in the
ground, instead of setting a physical barrier, did not prevent movements
along stereotyped routes (p = 0.1352, X2 = 2.20, df = 1). Behavioural
reactions to flag movement were not noticed.
Our preliminary results indicate that fladry works effectively
on captive wolves at least temporarily (1 hour test). Further experimental
research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these barriers
over repeated encounters. In these conditions, we will assess whether
habituation, or other factors (such as wolves' motivation to cross
them), decrease fladry's effectiveness. In addition to fladry,
we will test the effectiveness of other traditional and new barriers
(e.g., electric fences) to prevent captive wolves from accessing
food sources. In case these experiments provide positive results,
the next step should be to validate in the wild the effectiveness
of these barriers to protect livestock (particularly in areas where
conflicts between wolves and shepherds are arising) and to capture
wolves.
|
