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That kind of solution could create a Cobra Effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect) where ranchers feed wo
by almog 9y ago
That kind of solution could create a Cobra Effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect) where ranchers feed wolves with their stock.
I'm surprised that livestock guarding dogs were not mentioned in the article. Some breeds are known to prevent attacks by merely displaying aggressive behavior toward predators without actually harming neither the wolves nor themselves.
- protomyth 9y agoCould, but I doubt it. I can almost see some older milk cows or breeding animals going that way, but there is a bit of difference between the cost of raising cattle and cobras. Raising cows for wolf food has all sorts of side effects that ranchers would understand to be bad.
- mrfusion 9y agoAlpacas are good guard animals I think. Not sure for wolves.
- protomyth 9y agoThe Swiss seem to want llamas[1] because dogs are bad for tourists(?!?). I was taught you bought a donkey[2]. 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX5GvhIF2j4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX5GvhIF2j4 2) https://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/guard-donkeys-ranchers-turn-to-crabby-equines-to-watch-over-livestock/ https://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/guard-don...
- justinator 9y agoBoth lammas and donkeys are used here locally. The neighbors use a donkey.
- jxcole 9y agoIt wouldn't really be a Cobra Effect. In the Cobra Effect, the net number of Cobras (which were trying to be eliminated) was increased instead of decreased. If farmers start breeding livestock intentionally to be eaten by wolves, it's hard to see how this would have a net negative effect on the wolf population. Maybe you're suggesting the wolves would forget how to hunt because they are constantly being fed by ranchers? This might be possible. Either way, the key to implementing a policy like this would be testing it out with a small subset of Wyoming and measuring it's effects. Also, one should be careful not to over incentivize ranchers towards feeding wolves, but compensate them justly.
- protomyth 9y agoThe other difference from the Cobra effect is that feeding wolves would result in a whole lot of problems for the rancher (as in life and limb to family). Those problems are enough of an incentive not to do those things. You really, really don't want a predator to learn free meals are on your land. You already have to manage the land use when ranching.
- almog 9y agoYes, I wasn't suggesting an increase in the wolves population but rather that this solution could worsen the rancher's problem (of the ranchers) by educating the wolves to feed on livestock rather than hunt elks and deer. Strictly speaking, under ideal condition wolves live longer, so an increase in population is also possible.