wolf and vultures, positive or negative interactions? · e. stoynov, n. vangelova, h. peshev &...

Wolf and vultures, positive or negative

interactions?

Emilian Stoynov, [email protected]:Nadya Vangelova, Hristo Peshev &

Atanas GrozdanovFund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Bulgariawww.fwff.org

Congress on “Endangered large carnivores and scavenging

raptors in Europe”, Teramo, Italy,

13-15 October 2016

E. Stoynov, N. Vangelova, H. Peshev & A. Grozdanovwww.fwff.org

Teramo, Italy, 13-15 October 2016

Wolf and vultures, positive or negative interactions?

Wolf - Vultures positive interactions

• Vultures feed on predators’ (wolf) leftovers;• Surplus kills/size of animal;• Evenly distributed in time and space;• Fresh and opened carcasses;• Chopped meat and bones, thus easy accessible;• Bones chewed by wolves - Calcium ingestion by vultures;

Wolf - Vultures positive interactions




Wolf - Vultures Negative interactions

• Competition for food, • Keeping the number of wild ungulates and livestock low• BUT the MOST important is the Wolf/Man conflict and related POISON use




Wolf /Man Conflict and Conservation Consequences

Reasons for vulture poisoning on Balkans

The most common reason for vulture poisoning (83%) on Balkans is the illegal use of poison baits targeting wolves

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G.fulvus

N. percnopterus

Other birds of preyOther animals

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Reasons for poisoning of vultures in Bulgaria, Greece and FYROM in the period

1995-2015

G.fulvus

N. percnopterus

Other birds of prey

Other animals





Reasons for vulture poisoning on Balkans

• The wolf numbers on Balkans have increased 5-fold and the range expanded 10-fold from 1980 to 2013.

• The Wolf has never been protected in Bulgaria, Serbia, FYR of Macedonia, but the ban of poison baits use and regulation in its hunting was enough to support the increase of the population. These include ban of collecting litters, hunting only in weekends and hunting year –round only with official permission for few hunters per hunting range.





Numbers of vultures and wolves on Balkan and Iberian Peninsulas

Iberian Peninsula Balkan Peninsula (breeding pairs) (breeding pairs)

G. fulvus >25 000 ~ 600A. monachus >1 845 28G. barbatus 120 6-7N. percnopterus ~1 500 <80

C. lupus 2200-2500 (ind.) 3950-5000 (ind.)





Eurasian Black Vulture and Wolf distribution in Europe





Bearded Vulture and Wolf distribution in Europe





Egyptian Vulture and Wolf distribution in Europe





Eurasian Griffon Vulture and Wolf distribution in Europe





Griffon Vulture population dynamics in Eastern Rhodopi in Bulgaria with poisoning episodes

Dynamics of Griffon Vulture population in Eastern Rodopes in

Bulgaria 1978-2015

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1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

breeding pairs

documented poisoning

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Comparison of Griffon Vulture population development in Masiff

Central , France and Eastren Rodopes, Bulgaria 1982-2015

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1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

number of breeding psirs in

Masiff Central

number of breeding pairs in

Eastern Rodopes

Comparison of Griffon Vulture population development in Eastern Rhodopi in Bulgaria (within wolf range) and Massif Central in France (outside wolf range)




action to help local people in Man-Predator conflict




Visiting the places of livestock depredation




Collecting the carcasses




Witnessing the drama




and hope…




poison baits use




Poisoning…




... The wolf full - the lamb alive...




Karakachan Dogs




Providing Karakachan Dogs to shepherds…




The Compensation...




• In 90 % of the cases the affected livestock breeders do not cover the criteria for compensation




Reintroduction and promotion of autochthonous breeds and shift from small livestock to cattle

For mountain terrains FWFF and Green Balkans use Karakachan Sheep guarded by Karakachan Dogs, Karakachan Horse and Bulgarian Grey and Bulgarian Short –Horn Catlle. These breeds of sheep, horse and cows are very light weight thus not disturbing the fragile mountain soil more than necessary. They are adapted to the mountain climate and terrain and optimally use the mountain grass as food as well as behave in a way as to avoid or resist depredation.




Insurance• 2 % of the value of the

animal

• Lack of tradition • Lack of information

• Incompetence of insurance companies

• Lack of interest of the insurance companies as the product is not profitable (risky), but still there are reserves for action. E.g. introducing mass insurance through making it obligatory for receiving subsidies for livestock.




Although in the period 2006 – 2016 FWFF has:

• Directly helped over 600 farmers• And indirectly helped over 5 000• Directly provided 300 sheep and goats as compensation to their owners

• Donated over 200 guarding dogs which in turn breed and provide even more dogs for the local community

• Provided over 200 insurance policies free of charge• Provided valuable advice to farmers on how to protect their animals• Distributed thousands of leaflets and posters to educate the local people

about the effects of using illegal poison baits• Made the compensation program an official operation of one municipality

We found out that the FWFF’s Compensation Programme is an excellent tool to keep poisoning at low level locally, if applied permanently,

but does not change attitude of people to Wolf.

Doing all these things for more than a decade now we (FWFF) understood that this should be applied very intensively and to be effective it should be applied locally incorporated in concept of so called Vulture Safe Areas.




Vulture Safe AreasThe concept to be refined and well described

• Site based approach • Multy- measures/actions approach

• The Poisoning problem is too much diverse, so to get deep into the problem and solve it, we need to apply site based and multy-measures/actions approach.




Recommendations

In short –term:• Every action for wolf conservation should be planned only in accordance with the

vultures poisoning issue.

• Establishment of a network of feeding sites / Management of the carcass disposal (this should be adopted by LIFE Nature, as exception of the recurrent actions’ineligibility for funding) and to become the core of Vulture Safe Areas.

• Low enhancement and enforcement according to local circumstances

In mid-term:• Introduction of feeding sites management in every protected area, that harbours

otherwise suitable breeding habitat for vulture species

• Creation of a network of Vulture Safe Areas, to serve as stepping stones for the migrating and birds on dispersal.

In long-term: - Everything we saw above and whatever is presented as a good example on this

workshop.




Instead of conclusion

If we would like to have deep forests and wolves, but also vultures, we should accept that the feeding of vultures/ livestock carcassmanagement to their benefit is a must in the modern world. And they would be grateful to us, and so are we, because we were able to advocate for them here. ☺




wolf and vultures, positive or negative interactions? · e. stoynov, n. vangelova, h. peshev &...

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