The impact of predators on livestock in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

ABSTRACT

Free-living populations of wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and brown bears (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758) regularly cause damage to livestock in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The laws of the region provide for compensation payments to owners for losses caused by predators. In the present paper, 4,993 validated claims made between 1980 and 1988 are examined. Losses ascribed to wolf, bear and wild boar attacks were 92.1%, 7.8% and 0.1%, respectively, of the total losses caused by predators during this period. The victims of wolf attacks were mostly sheep and goats (45.0%) and equids (38.5%), followed by cattle (16.4%) and rabbits, fowl and dogs (0.2%). Bears also principally attacked sheep and goats (67.6%), other targets being cattle (18.5%), equids (9.5%) and bee-hives (4.4%). A significant difference was observed between the number of attacks by wolves and bears; although both populations are of similar size. Other statistically significant differences have been observed between the periods in which the attacks take place on the different livestock and the predator species which reportedly caused the damage. Among cattle and equids, victims are mostly new-born or young animals, while among sheep and goats only adult animals are attacked.