David and his parents live in Poniky, a small village in the mountains of central Slovakia. On the heights of the village, the 600 Pôvodná Valaška sheep that make up their flock graze from morning to night on the vast meadows at an altitude of 550 metres. This large flock is not intended to produce milk or meat. It is a herd of the heart and a part of the family's traditions that is very dear to them. David's grandparents used to raise these same sheep decades ago. In David's house, old photos show the time when the sheep were milked by hand in the field. The Pôvodná Valaška sheep, brought to the Slovak mountains by the Vlach colonisation in the 13th and 14th centuries, today represents a small proportion of the country's sheep population (some 1,500 in total throughout Slovakia). David's family restarted in 90's the Pôvodná Valaška flock. Today, David and his parents own the largest flock of Pôvodná Valaška, a multi-purpose sheep (milk, meat and wool) adapted to rough mountain terrain and bad weather. David is currently completing his studies to set up on the family farm, where he is building up a herd of cows for milk production.
Photos. David's and his parents' herd of Pôvodná Valaška
On this November afternoon, the small mountains surrounding the village, sometimes covered with grass, sometimes with forest, are bathed in light in a peaceful atmosphere. However, this postcard landscape is the scene of a fierce war between the shepherd family and its main competitor: the wolf.
Photo. Hilly landscape around the farm
The relationship between the shepherd and the wolf is a sensitive subject, beyond the Slovakian borders. Without going that far, it is enough to talk to the shepherds of our Pyrenees to know that the cohabitation of the two entities can be highly conflictual, especially when it is imposed. We are reminded of the words of Sébastien Astabie, a black-headed Manech shepherd in the Basque Country: "We are not ready [to live with the wolf]". Indeed, although our modern European societies seem divided between pro- and anti-wolf, the subject is far from being so binary. The cohabitation between humans and wolves is above all a matter of balance, and the slightest change in this balance can have dramatic consequences for one or the other of the two entities.
In some countries, this cohabitation has been established since the dawn of time. In Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Latvia, the wolf and the breeder are part of an ecosystem where each has its place. Charnel pits are set up to feed the wild fauna away from the sheep, protection dogs are raised with the herd, and the wolf is hunted when it invades the shepherds' territory. Whatever the methods used, cohabitation is established through a balance of power between the farmer and the wolf that ensures mutual respect and balance. Whatever one's opinion on the protection of the wolf in Europe, the implementation of specific policies on the subject disrupts the established balance. For example, banning the hunting of wolves means that shepherds have to find new ways of defending their flocks, which they do not know how to use. A crucial adaptation phase then follows to ensure the long-term cohabitation of the species: a phase that is too often neglected by politicians when new rules are established to protect the wolf. Without adaptation, there can be no cohabitation. Without cohabitation, one of the species will push the other towards the exit door.
Photo. To protect the herd, David and his family have invested in guard dogs.
David's story is a perfect illustration of the complex and fragile balance that governs the relationship between the farmer and the wild carnivore. Since 2018, David's herd has been regularly and increasingly attacked by wolves. At first, a few dozen animals were killed. There are many weaknesses here and the game is favourable to the wolf: the wooded and hilly territory offers many opportunities to lead the herd "into its mouth", far from the shepherd's surveillance. What's more, there are no dogs to protect the herd! This is a godsend for the carnivore, who quickly understands that it is easier to feed on sheep than on wild prey in the forest. Year after year, the wolf is more efficient at feeding on the herd and prefers the herd for its meal. Attacks are increasing and the wolf population is settling permanently around the farm. The investment in guard dogs does not change anything. "They are here day and night! They wait at the edge of the forest until there is no one left to attack!" Indeed, from the edge of the wood, the wolf has a panoramic view of the herd and the surrounding area. A year later, the first generation of wolves trained to attack the herd conceived the succession. Young cubs were born and started to sink their teeth into David's lambs. Today, the sheep flock is under attack from the new generation of wolves: those who have learned to feed exclusively on sheep, which have become easy prey in the territory. Now, more than a third of his flock, or 250 animals, are lost in a year. When asked about the longevity of his animals, he answers with a forced laugh: "Until the wolf takes them". This is the last straw for a farm dedicated to the conservation of the breed and not to production.
Photo. David's flock is repeatedly attacked by wolves. At the time of our visit, seven lambs had survived the last attack, two days before.
David's story is the story of a losing combination that took three years, not one more. In Slovakia, while hunting was the main tool to preserve a balance between the shepherd and the wolf, increasingly restrictive hunting quotas were introduced. Finally, a zero quota was decreed this year. On 22 April 2021, the wolf was added to the list of protected animals. From this date onwards, it is forbidden to injure, kill or intercept the wolf in Slovakia. While the measure in favour of the wolf is taking effect, the means given to farmers to adapt are non-existent or ineffective and the financial compensation insufficient. The shepherds see their animals disappear in front of their eyes, powerless, because the financial question hinders their ability to adapt. In David's case, if no solution emerges to save his herd, he will stop the Pôvodná Valaška breeding. The largest flock of the oldest sheep breed in Slovakia will disappear. This will have consequences for the surrounding ecosystem, as David and his parents have the only sheep flock within a thirty kilometre radius. So when the flock disappears, what will happen to the wolf community, which today knows only how to feed on sheep ?
Did you know ?
- Valuing traditional agriculture
David is a member of Slow Food Tatry, whose mission is to protect and promote traditional farming activities in rural and mountainous areas of Slovakia. The Slow Food Tatry network, which was established in 2012, has led to the recognition of Bryndza 1787 cheese, a traditional sheep's milk cheese made in the Slovak Carpathians. The protection of Slovak know-how also helps to preserve ancient breeds such as the Cigája and Valaška, bred for cheese making. In the future, Slow Food Tatry and member producers like David want to have meat from the Pôvodná Valaška recognized in order to keep the breed in the country and support small producers of this old breed. Many thanks to Ladislav Raček for taking us on David's route and showing us a part of traditional Slovakian breeding. For more information: http://www.slowfoodtatry.sk/
- The situation of the wolf in France
Although the wolf was historically distributed over the whole territory of France, hunting pressure and deforestation in the 19th and 20th centuries (in particular to protect the herds of farmers) led to the eradication of the animal in France in 1937. Fifty years later, a population of wolves persisted in the Abruzzi region of Italy. In France, reforestation and, at the same time, the return of abundant wildlife made the territory once again favourable for the wolf to settle. The wolf naturally returned to populate the Alps and the first wolf pair was observed in 1992 in the Mercantour National Park. Today in France, the wolf is considered to be a protected species and any attack on the species is heavily sanctioned. However, there are exemptions allowing the killing of a limited number of individuals to prevent "hotbeds of attack ", when the number and repetition of attacks cause significant damage to livestock farmers.
Map. Evolution of wolf populations in France since 1992. Source Loupfrance.fr
Map. Presence of the wolf in Europe. There are a total of 9 distinct populations of wolves spread from North to South, East to West across Europe. Source: Large carnivore initiative for Europe