ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOG PROJECT PROGRESS REPORTS DECEMBER 2010 Progress Report Anatolian Shepherd Guarding Dog Project South Africa In order to assist farmers in the reduction of livestock losses the following Anatolian Shepherd dogs were placed on selected farms as a means of non-lethal predator control: First set of Second set of Third set of Fourth set of Fifth set of Sixth set of placements placements placements placements placements placements (2005): (April 2006): (June 2006): ( June 2007): (October (January 2008): 2007): 1. Uthaya 1. Kiwi 1. Jo (Brey 1. Themba 1. Fox (All 1. Kilo (Botriver) (Thabazimbi District) (Botriver) Days, (Jakkelsfontein) 2. Boleyn District) 2. Simba 2. Alpha Limpopo) 2. Juliet (Thabazimbi 2. Warrior (Musina) (Baltimore, 2. Gia (Tolwe, (Gregory) District) (Stockpoort, 3. Guardian, Limpopo) Limpopo) 3. Hank 3. Gillian Limpopo) renamed 3. Bravo 3. Pego (Klipvlei) (Lepalale Beska (Thabazimbi) (Vhembe, 4. Sunny (Lema) District) (Lephalale) 4. Charlie Limpopo) (Krokodilpan) 4. Inca (Brey (Thabazimbi) 5. Mike District) 5. Delta (Maastroom) 5. Tau (Musina) (Limpopo) 6. Issy 6. Jedi 6. Echo (Matopi) (Thabazimbi (Limpopo) District) Eighth set of Tenth set of Eleventh set of Twelfth set of Thirteenth set Fourteenth set of 2 placements placements placements placements of placements placements (August 2008): (September (February (April 2009) (May 2009): ( May 2009): 2008): 2009): 1. Crikey 1. Neeake 1. Fola 1. Irwin’s 1. Irwin’s 1. Sunny Lephalale (Tosca (Tosca Guardian Guardian (Vostershoop District) District) District) Efendi Felix District) 2. Helen 2. Kaitiaki 2. Masindi 2. Fezzik (Tsipise (Robertson (Vostershoop (Swartwater (Tosca (Tosca District) District) District) District District) District) 2. Irwin’s 2. Irwin’s 3. Romeo 3. Kahu 3. Phoenix 3. Mandla Guardian Guardian (Vostershoop (Baltimore (Tosca (Tosca Argus Becki District) District) District) District) (Alldays (Thabazim 4. Sadik 4. Charlie 4. Gloria 4. Amy District) bi District) (Vostershoop (Swartwater (Tosca (Tosca 3. Irwin’s 3. Irwin’s District) District) District) District) Guardian Guardian 5. Thandi 5. Julliette Spirit Joe (Vostershoop (Alldays (Alldays (Thabazim District) District) District) bi District) 6. Rachel (Alldays 4. Irwin’s 4. Irwin’s District) Guardian Guardian Felix Shushka (Lephelale (Thabazim District) bi District) 5. Irwin’s 5. Irwin’s Guardian Guardian Oliver Nemesis (Alldays (Thabazim District) bi District) Fifteenth set of Sixteenth set of Seventeenth Eighteenth set of Nineteenth set of Twentieth set of placements placements set of placements placements placements (June 2009): (January 2010): placements (February 2010): (February 2010): (July 2010): (January 2010): 1. Roxy 1. Andrew 1. Don 1. Khan (Bray 1. Merlin 1. Tara (Thabazimbi (Vostershoop (Thabazim district) (Steenbok 2. Jasper District) District) bi District) 2. Shumba pan) 3. Khaki 2. Patty 2. Savannah 2. Themba (Vostershoop 2. Aslan 4. Shadow (Thabazimbi (Vostershoop (Thabazim District) (Thabazim 5. April District) District) bi District) 3. Panther bi District) 6. Dave 3. Steff 3. Harley 3. Juliette (Terra 7. Argus (Thabazimbi (Vergelee (Alldays Vostershoop 8. Aslan District) 4. Wellington District) District) District) (Thabazimbi 4. Kibali (Tosca 4. Victor 4. Peace District District) (Thabazim (Vostershoop 5. Malusi 5. Zeus (Tosca bi District) District) (Thabazimbi District) District) 6. Thandi (Tosca District) Twenty first set of Twenty second set of placements placements (October 2010) (October 2010) 3 Blue Crane Donation 1. Irwin’s 1. Irwin’s Guardian Guardian Chobe (Bray) Gokturna 2. Irwin’s (Chrisiesmeer) Guardian 2. Irwin’s Tiger (Bray) Guardian 3. Irwin’s Valkeri Guardian (Chrisiesmeer) Peace 2 3. Irwin’s (Vergelee) Guardian 4. Irwin’s Konya Guardian (Chrissiesmeer) Panther 2 (Terra Firma) 5. Irwin’s Guardian Liz (Vostershoop) 6. Irwin’s Guardian Nicky (Bray) 7. Irwin’s Guardian Jack (Morokweng) 8. Irwin’s Guardian Zafar (Tosca) 9. Irwin’s Guardian Rufus (Tosca) 10. Irwin’s Guardian Shadow (Alldays) ** The 7th and 9th placements of puppies were part of a trial project in partnership with a red meat producer and retailer and placed outside of cheetah range. To assess the progress and working abilities of these dogs, continuous monitoring has been done during 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 by means of visitations, telephonic discussions and questionnaires. A. First set of placements (2005) Of the first set of placements the following results were obtained: Uthaya is a very successful and well-established Anatolian placed on farm Paardenkloof in the Western Cape near Botriver. No livestock losses have been suffered since the placement and the farm owner is 4 extremely satisfied. Boleyn’s owner sold his herd of goats and now Boleyn only has a few goats and 2 calves to guard. The owner is still full of praise for her and feels that she has proven more successful in predator control than the other methods he used. Jedi still works as an ambassador at the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre and is doing excellent work in promoting the project to visitors at this world-renowned breeding and awareness facility. Tau was the first dog placed on Martiens Opperman’s farm, Hartjiesveld, in the Limpopo Province. He unfortunately disappeared when he was one year old, presumably to snakebite. Gillian adapted well to her new environment when moved to a new farm, but after some time she started roaming and ended up accompanying the neighbour’s sheep. There she did her duty as guardian and killed a brown hyena that threatened the herd. Shortly after this incident she was killed by a hyena while guarding this herd of livestock. Inca was removed from her farm because of inadequate bonding with her herd and undesirable play behaviour. This could not be corrected even after numerous attempts at corrective training. She is now a domestic guarding dog and she is doing an excellent job A. Second set of placements (April 2006) Kiwi is still a hard working, effective and well established guardian. Her owners are full of praise for her and promote the use of Anatolians at every opportunity. Kiwi was joined by Malusi during the latter part of 2009 to assist and eventually replace Kiwi. This has worked out well and both dogs are doing great. Kiwi is showing signs of turning deaf and she is being assessed closely and continuously; this does not seem to hamper her in any way to do her work effectively. Warrior is currently guarding a herd of approximately 300 sheep in a grazing area of 150 ha. He is a hard working guardian and the farmer has not had any livestock losses. He is very happy with the placement. B. Third set of placements (June 2006) Jo was removed from his farm near Bray in the Northern Cape after the farmer made it clear that he was not willing to commit the necessary time and energy during the training period. Jo has successfully been placed with new owners where he is now a family guarding dog. Simba was sold for the third time with his herd to a new owner. He has adapted well to his new home and his new owner is very happy with his guarding abilities. He has not lost any animals to predation and this has encouraged his owner to take part in a EWT programme in the Waterberg. Guardian (Beska) is still doing very well and no stock losses have been reported since Beska joined the flock of sheep. He is doing an excellent job of guarding his herd. C. Fourth set of placements (June 2007) Themba was removed from the farm Paardenkloof in the Overberg and was placed as a domestic guarding dog. Alpha is doing well and has a reputation among all the neighbouring farmers as an excellent guarding dog, resulting in more farmers joining our programme. 5 Bravo started to display hunting behaviour and was removed from the farm. The hunting behavior may have developed during the first placement. Bravo was removed and placed as a companion dog. Charlie died of an unknown illness. The owner, however, saw the impact Charlie had on his farming operation and has shown interest in acquiring a new dog. Delta’s owner has sold his farm and moved out of free range cheetah area. He is so happy with Delta that he took him to the new farm in the Virginia area in the Free State Province. Echo was shot by a neighbour, but was an excellent guardian at the time of his death. He was replaced during August 2008 by Crikey, but during the time that there was no guardian with the herd of cattle the owner reported losses to leopard. The placements of Delta and Echo with cattle had gone exceptionally well, and this success allowed us to place more dogs with cattle. This initiative has made it possible to explore a new avenue in terms of cheetah conservation in South Africa. D. Fifth set of placements (October 2007) Fox had to be removed after developing behavioural problems and showing no response to corrective training. He was placed as a companion dog. Gia was placed on farm Drinkeling near Tolwe in the Limpopo Province on 25 October 2007. Gia was killed in the kraal by a snake within two weeks of placement. Pego has developed a problem with one of his front legs and was taken to Dr. Peter Caldwell for examination and assessment. He is on the farm working but is on medication and is being constantly monitored to make sure he is not in any pain or discomfort. E. Sixth set of placements (January 2008) Kilo was poisoned by one of the farm workers on the farm. He was replaced by Kaitiaki. Juliet is a very attentive guardian and never leaves her herd of goats. She is quite accepting of other animals and has taken a young calf into her care. The owners report no stock losses with her herd and are very happy with her guardian abilities. Hank is an attentive guardian and never leaves his goats. He is hard working and is always seen in close proximity to the herd. On a recent visit I found leopard, brown hyena and jackal tracks all within a few hundred meters from the herd. Sunny died due to snake bite. Mike had to scale down in his working duties due to problems with his legs; he is receiving special medical treatment to manage this problem. He was placed on a small holding with a herd of sheep and is doing well guarding this herd of livestock outside of cheetah range. Issy was injured severely by a goat ewe and died at the veterinarian clinic during treatment. All the remaining dogs from this placement are progressing very well. Their healthcare is up to date in terms of parasite control and vaccinations. Visitations to assess their development and to discuss the placements with the farmers are done quarterly. 6 F. Eight set of placements (August 2008) Crikey has been moved from his first farm to a new farm where he is still guarding cattle. He now joins Felix on the farm and is undergoing his bonding process with his new herd. I am confident that he would be able to adapt to his new farm and surroundings. Kaitiaki is presumed lost due to snakebite. Kahu is doing well on the farm and is guarding his herd of goats effectively. No losses have been reported. The owner is full of praise for Kahu and promotes the programme actively. Charlie is doing well and is successfully guarding his herd of sheep. The owner is happy with him and there are no behavioural problems to report. Juliette turned deaf and with a veterinarian’s recommendation was removed from the farm. She was placed as a companion dog and was replaced by Juliette 2. At the time of her removal she was a successful guardian with no losses reported within her herd. Rachel was removed from the farm of Mr. Nel. The owner requested the removal due to lack of interest and commitment. She was placed on a new farm and has settled in well under her closely monitored conditions. G. Tenth set of placements( October 2008): This litter of puppies was placed in the Tosca area of the Northwestern Province of South Africa. The area has long been regarded as a sink for cheetah and the decision was taken to focus delivery in this area running parallel to the Botswana border where there is high cheetah traffic. This effort has improved the profile of the cheetah in a farming community renowned for intolerance and exploitation of all predators. Neeake is doing well and is an attentive and hard working guardian. He has had no losses with his herd and the owner reports regular sightings of cheetah on the farm. The owner is very happy with Neeake’s working ability and advocates the use of Anatolians at every opportunity. Masindi was a hard working dog but she was found dead due to snake bite. The owner has not yet shown an interest to continue with the programme, but will be visited again to assess the problems and discuss future plans. Gloria is working hard and the owner is very happy with her as a guardian. He has reported no losses since she joined the herd. She is an attentive guardian and can always be found in close proximity to her herd. Phoenix is hard working and in a good condition. The owner is very happy with her and says that he is amazed at her working ability. He has no behavioural problems or stock losses to report. She was moved to a new area on the farm with her herd and took the move in her stride. She settled in quickly and is as hard working as ever. I. Eleventh set of placements (February 2009): 7 This litter of puppies was also placed in the Tosca area of the Northwestern Province of South Africa. Amy was lost and presumed dead. She was replaced by Nicky during October 2010. Fezzik was removed from the farm at the owner’s request. He was replaced by Zeus. Mandla is doing what is expected of him. He has kept a brown hyena away from his herd and he followed the hyena until it left his area. His owner further reports cheetah catching a kudu not far from the kraal where Mandla and his herd stays. Fola was killed in a freak accident on the farm and was replaced by Thandi. J. Twelfth set of placements (March 2009): These dogs were placed in the Alldays and Lephalale areas in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Felix is doing very well and his owner cannot praise Felix enough. He is a hard working and attentive guardian. He started roaming when he was being fed by a neighbour’s labourer, but once this was stopped Felix’s behaviour returned to normal. Leopard tracks and sightings are common on the farm. He is now joined by Crickey on the farm to help him in this difficult area. Efendi is a hard working and attentive guardian; during my visit he was tracked with his VHF collar and found with his herd. He immediately moved his herd away from me, until he was sure that I did not pose a threat. Great dog! Oliver is a very hard working and reliable guardian. He went missing for 3 days just before my visit and a worried farmer phoned Deon Cilliers. We rushed out to the farm and when we got there he had returned. No explanation could be found for his absenteeism. Argus was placed on the farm of Mr. F Stegman but we had to remove him due to behavioural problems. He was placed under corrective training but did not respond favourably. He has been replaced by Argus 2 during July 2010 as the owner wanted to continue with the program. Spirit was removed from the programme as he did not respond to corrective training; this was done on the farmer’s insistence. He was placed as a companion dog. K. Thirteenth set of placements (May 2009): We placed five puppies in this group. Four of the puppies were placed in free range cheetah areas and the 5th puppy was placed on a wine estate in the Western Cape where it is guarding a small herd of springbok against roaming domestic dogs and caracal. Felix the Springbuck dog is doing extremely well. Since his placement the herd of Springbuck has doubled and there were no losses to report. He has defended the herd successfully on several occasions against stray dogs and caracal. Although this trial is being done under ideal conditions, we are learning a lot from it and we are gathering the data for future potential placements. Becki is a trustworthy and attentive guardian. The owner is very happy with her progress. She is in good condition and has bonded very well to her herd of sheep. Only one sheep disappeared during this 8 period and it is thought that a cheetah ate it, as Becki returned back to the kraal that day with some bite and scratch marks on her. Joe was removed from the farm due to behavioural problems and he was replaced by Don during the first part of 2010. Nemesis is a hard working guardian and is well bonded with his herd. He is doing great work for his owner and she is very happy with him. Shuska has adapted very well to her role as livestock guarding dog and is not presenting any behavioural issues. The farmer is extremely happy with her and has requested the placement of another livestock guarding dog with his cattle to protect them from predation by leopards. Cheetahs and leopards are seen frequently on this farm, but no goats have been lost since Shuska has been with the herd. L. Fourteenth set of placements (May 2009): We placed five puppies in the Vostershoop district in the Northwest province of South Africa; this area is known for the movement of illegally captured cheetah out of the area. There is also much movement of cheetah between South Africa and Botswana in this area. Romeo has developed into a good guardian after some initial problems. He joins his herd daily and has not lost a member of the herd to predation. There is a lot of predator activity on the farm, with leopard causing the most damage at unprotected herds. Helen was killed by a leopard and was replaced by Andrew during the first part of 2010. Sunny has responded well to corrective training earlier in the year and is now joining the herd as they move out to graze every day. His owner is very happy with this progress. Sadik was bitten by a snake and died; he was replaced by Khan during the first part of 2010. Thandi was killed during a fight amongst her cattle when one of the cows stepped on her. She was replaced by Thandi 2 during the first part of 2010. M. Fifteenth set of placements (May 2009): These five puppies where placed in the Thabazimbi area of the Limpopo province of South Africa. Roxy has no behavioural problems and has developed into a trustworthy and effective livestock guardian. During this quarter, three of her sheep went missing during a thunder storm, but no signs of predation were found. Cheetahs are seen often on this farm and earlier this year a female cheetah with five cubs was seen by workers on the farm. Patty can always be found in close proximity to the members of her herd. She is a hard working and attentive guardian and has overcome earlier behavioural problems. Steff was placed on a new farm after his first owner sold his herd of sheep. He has settled well into the new routine and environment. He was placed on a run wire temporarily as he climbed the fence and visited the neighbour’s herd of goats and there was a concern for his safety. 9 Wellington’s owner is still very happy with him and he has become a huge promoter for livestock guarding dogs in the community. The farmer has also requested a second livestock guarding dog to be placed with his other herd of sheep on his second farm in 2011. Malusi has developed into a very hard working and attentive guardian. Since joining Kiwi on the farm they have become a formidable pair and their owners are extremely happy with them. He is one of the star dogs in our programme. N. Sixteenth set of placements (January 2010) These six puppies were placed along the South African Botswana border from Boshoek up to Vostershoop. Three of the puppies were replacements for dogs that were either removed from the program or died. Andrew was the replacement for Helen (killed by leopard) on the farm of Mr. G Stoltz. He is fully recovered from his jackal attack and is now a hard working guardian. He did have some behavioural problems but they were corrected very quickly. His owners are very proud of him. Savannah has started roaming and occasionally ends up at the house on the farm. She is now under corrective training and is responding positively. Harley is a hard working, attentive, protective and trustworthy guardian. His owner cannot stop praising his working ability and is very proud of his dog. Harley and Neeake are working on the same farm and between them they have had no losses within their herds. There are regular cheetah sighting on the farm. 10