Capture of wolves and hybrids in the Gran Sasso National Park

CAPTURE AND MONITORING OF WOLF HYBRIDS AND ASSESSMENT OF LIVESTOCK DAMAGE IN THE GRAN SASSO NATIONAL PARK

 

In March 2024, the Gran Sasso National Park entrusted the Institute of Applied Ecology in Rome with a service aimed at “Capturing and monitoring wolf hybrids and verifying damage to livestock caused by wildlife.” This assignment is currently being carried out.

The activities related to the service of capturing and monitoring wolf hybrids in the National Park will be as follows:

– Organizing, planning, and implementing wolf monitoring activities using the wolf howling technique;

– Conducting activities aimed at identifying dogs, wolves, and wolf hybrids through the collection of scats for genetic sampling and video/images taken by traversing appropriately identified transects;

– Organizing, planning, and conducting trapping of wolf hybrids and wolves in the Park’s territory by identifying suitable sites to place the capture tools as required by current regulations;

– Preparing and programming the satellite radio collars that will be used to mark the captured animals;

– Archiving data on locations acquired from satellite radio collars;

– Organizing, planning, and implementing field monitoring activities of identified activity clusters;

– Processing location data of marked animals (calculating and representing home ranges, identifying activity clusters, identifying shelter and breeding sites, representing dispersion movements, etc.);

– Implementing the database related to monitoring wolves and hybrids.

The service of verifying predation events will include:

– Participating in wolf hybrid capture sessions (or wolf x dog hybrids) and performing:

– Tele-anesthesia or anesthesia of subjects immobilized with foot snares;

– Clinical monitoring of anesthetized animals;

– Collecting biological samples (blood, feces, etc.);

– Management and release.

– Conducting inspections and carrying out medico-legal surveys on deceased or injured livestock reported as suspected prey within the Park’s territory to ascertain whether the death or injury resulted from predation by wildlife, additionally providing management indications useful for damage prevention. Furthermore, the service should provide information to breeders regarding:

– Preventing damage from wildlife predation events;

– Proper and appropriate mountain grazing;

– Proper health management of grazing livestock.