Abstract :
Predation has always been an important problem in extensive sheep farms, causing serious
economic losses to the farmers. Official predation reports have recently been decreasing in
the District of Pisa, in spite of the presence of two wolf packs in the area. The aim of the
present research was to obtain reliable information on the characteristics of predation and
to estimate the effectiveness of existing prevention methods in sheep farms of the southern
District of Pisa, in order to set up predictive models for an improved and more focused
prevention plan and support interventions by public authorities. On-farm surveys were carried
out in 73 semi-extensive sheep farms. Predation events were reported by 75.3% of the
farmers. Wolves seemed to be responsible for most of those events, although their actual
role could be confirmed only in 34% of cases. Most of the events occurred in spring and
85.1% of them were concentrated during night time. The average number of sheep killed
during each attack was 7.05. In 22.3% of cases, the number of sheep killed was
≥10. Proximity
to protected areas and the presence of thick vegetation cover significantly affected
the probability of a farm being subjected to chronic predation. Farm size was significantly
higher in those cases. No clear indication about the effectiveness of prevention methods
could be obtained from our survey. The results of this investigation highlighted the impact
of predation in the Southern District of Pisa and emphasized the need for finding technical
and political solutions to this problem. Attention should be focused on large farms, with
thick vegetation cover and located close to protected areas. Further investigations should
be carried out in order to test the effectiveness of suitable prevention methods in these
farms.
