Prevention of wolf damage to livestock in Slovenia, 15 years of experience
Since the wolf has made its comeback in the Alps, the adoption of prevention measures against wolf attacks is crucial to reach a sustainable coexistence between human activities and wolves.
High electric fences are one of the best methods to prevent damages from large carnivores on livestock. Within the framework of the LWA EU project 15 farmers who requested assistance received the fences and SFS Zavod za gozdove Slovenije personnel was involved in setting them up. In this video, Slovenian project partners, livestock breeders and an agricultural advisor from the Institute of agriculture and forestry Ljubljana show how to properly set the netting and what are the challenges when using high electric nettings.
In the last 15 years, damages from large carnivores have been significantly reduced, where livestock breeders were using this protection. Currently, 130 Slovenian livestock breeders are protecting their animals with high electric nettings.
The experience of these years shows that specific solutions must be defined on a case-by-case basis in the field together with the breeders and shepherds involved, taking into account the different types of pastures, management objectives etc.
