In Scotland… training dogs to protect sheep from vultures
In the middle of a flock of sheep grazing in a field in the Scottish Highlands, Luigi and Peaches watch the sky, as these two dogs learn to protect sheep from large vultures that prey on lambs, according to Agence France-Presse.
Johnny and Daisy Eames, who started the training program in Rothymoreches in northern Scotland, hope their project will allow farmers and vultures to co-exist, while ranchers call on the authorities to kill the vultures. “The last thing we want is to kill the vultures,” Daisy told AFP. “We have to find a solution that works for both parties.”
Hunt to Extinction
Vultures were once part of the Scottish landscape, but were driven to extinction in the 19th century.
In 1975, as part of the country’s reintroduction programme, Nosour was taken from Norway to the remote island of Rum in Scotland. Other birds were reintroduced to other areas in the 1990s and in 2007 and 2012.
If the reintroduction of vultures is successful, it is not suitable for livestock keepers. As the birds attack the lambs to feed.
To solve the problem, Johnny was inspired by his experience with a cheetah conservation project in Namibia, where Maremma-Abruza dogs were successfully used to keep cats away from livestock.
To train the two dogs, Johnny attaches an eagle-like object to a drone and flies it over them.
Johnny and Daisy also allow an eagle to prey on a carcass in front of the two dogs in a controlled environment.
Johnny explained, “We want to show the two dogs that the eagle is a predator, and that if there is one near the lambs, they must be frightened.”
Jonathan Eames trains two Maremma dogs to protect livestock from the threat of sea eagles in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands on July 26, 2023 (AFP)
devastating effect
For her part, Jenny Love, a sheep breeder on the west coast of Scotland, confirmed that the vultures had a devastating impact in the region.
“Vultures are not evil,” she told AFP. It has no other food, so it preys on lambs, which are easy prey for them.
She added, “But this inflicts heavy losses on livestock breeders. They are deprived of their source of livelihood. The public thinks these breeders are the bad guys.”
Under the vultures management scheme, livestock keepers receive up to £5,000 (€5,800) a year in compensation for livestock lost to vultures.
However, the process of claiming compensation is costly and complicated and only partially compensates for the losses, according to Love.
She explained that a breeder lost lambs worth 30,000 pounds sterling (about 35,000 euros) in one season.
She added, “I saw strong men breaking down in tears in front of me; Because they did not know what to do, ”expressing her skepticism about the ability of dogs to solve the problem.
According to her, it takes thousands of dogs to guard sheep in the mountains, where lambs are almost completely lost to vultures.
The solution, in her view, lies instead in better, larger, and easily obtainable compensation.
Jonathan Eames holds a sea eagle on his arm as he uses it to train maremma dogs to protect livestock from the sea eagle threat in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands on July 26, 2023 (AFP)
