ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOG PROJECT PROGRESS REPORTS JUNE 2009 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): (2006): (2006): (2007): (2007): (2008): 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. 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) Seventh set of Eight of Ninth set of Tenth set of Eleventh set of Twelfth set of placements placements placements placements placements placements (2008): (2008): (2008): (2008): (2009): (2009) 1. Mufasa 1. Crikey 1. Peuter 1. Neeake 1. Fola 1. Efendi (Cradock Lephalale (Cradock (Tosca (Tosca (Tsipise District) District) District) District) Districy) District) 2. Scruffy 2. Kaitiaki 2. Joseph 2. Masindi 2. Fezzik 2. Argus (Middelburg (Swartwater (Cradock (Tosca (Tosca (Alldays District) District District) District) District) District) 3. Roy 3. Kahu 3. Dusty 3. Phoenix 3. Mandla 3. Spirit (Middelburg (Baltimore (Cradock (Tosca (Tosca (Alldays District) District) District) District) District) District) 4. Spot 4. Charlie 4. Simon 4. Gloria 4. Amy 4. Felix (Cradock (Swartwater (Cradock (Tosca (Tosca (Lephelale District) District) District) District) District) District) 5. Unnamed 5. Julliette 5. Charlie 5. Oliver Cradock (Alldays (Cradock (Alldays District) District) District) District) 6. Rachel (Alldays District) 2 Thirteenth set of Fourteenth set of Fifteenth set of placements placements placements (2009): (2009): (2009): 1. Felix 1. Sunny 1. Roxy (Robertson (Vostershoop (Thabazi District) District) mbi 2. Helen District) 2. Becki (Vostershoop 2. Patty (Thabazim District) (Thabazi bi District) 3. Romeo mbi 3. Joe (Vostershoop District) (Thabazim District) 3. Steff bi District) 4. Sadik (Thabazi 4. Shushka (Vostershoop mbi (Thabazim District) District) bi District) 5. Thandi 4. 5. Nemesis (Vostershoop 5. (Thabazim District) bi District) 3 To assess the progress of these dogs, continuous monitoring has been done during 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 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. Since his sheep herd has grown to over 500 members. He has settled in very nicely after the removal of the second guardian and is doing well. No livestock losses have been suffered since the placement and the farm owner is extremely satisfied. Boleyn is working brilliantly and displays all the characteristics necessary to deem her an effective guarding dog. She has successfully protected her herd from resident brown and spotted hyena and nomadic cheetahs. She is currently guarding a herd of 90 goats in an area of approximately 400 ha. She is currently in very good condition. No livestock losses have been suffered since the placement and the farm owner is extremely satisfied. Jedi still works as an ambassador at De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust and is doing excellent work in promoting the project to visitors at this world-renowned 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. He was an effective and reliable guarding dog and no livestock losses were suffered during his time with the herd. The farmer was extremely happy with this placement and immediately requested another Anatolian to replace Tau. Gillian’s’ herd was sold by the owner, due to relocation, and moved to a new farm. Rather than having to move her to a new herd on a farm, the new owner of the herd requested that she be moved with the herd. They were moved to the new farm and she is still functioning in free range cheetah area. She has settled in nicely after the move and has taken it in her stride. She is still a very attentive guardian and the new owner cannot believe his luck when he obtained her. No stock losses were reported by the new owner. 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 guarding dog at Mr Valli Moosa’s house and she is doing an excellent job. 4 B. Second set of placements (2006) Kiwi’s placement has encountered little behavioural problems and she has proved herself to be an effective and reliable guarding dog. She has bonded very well with her herd of a hundred goats and sheep and guards them daily while the herd grazes in a 600 ha area. She broke her hind leg during the first part of the year but after extensive treatment she has recovered well and is back doing what she does best, guarding her herd. She is a star performer in the project. Warrior has developed into a very effective guarding dog and has adjusted well after being moved from his familiar surroundings to a new farm and new animals. He has bonded well with his herd and is very reliable in following the daily routine expected of him. Currently, he is 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 and is very happy with the placement. C. Third set of placements (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 was in the care of the same farmer with whom Inca was placed and that was regarded as a failed placement. We suspect that farmer negligence contributed to both removals. No livestock losses have been encountered during Jo’s placement and the farmer, interestingly, has shown interest in buying an Anatolian from Cheetah Outreach in 2008. Cheetah Outreach/De Wildt will invite him to buy a dog but no more dogs will be placed on this farm. Jo has successfully been placed with new owners where he is now a family guarding dog. Simba was the second dog placed on Mr Martiens Opperman’s farm to replace Tau. He has bonded very well with his herd of 70 goats and escorts them while they roam over an area of up to 2400 ha. The owner recently sold his farm and the herd that Simba is guarding and the new owner requested that Simba be moved with the herd. The herd and Simba were moved to the new farm and his is still functioning in free range cheetah area. Simba took the move to the new farm in his stride and has settled in nicely on the new farm and he is still a very attentive guardian. Guardian (Beska) is doing very well and the owner reports that he has had no stock losses since Beska joined the flock of sheep. Beska’s owners had doubts about their future use of a guardian, but after some thought they decided that they will keep him. He is doing an excellent job of guarding his herd. He is very hard working and the owners have reported no losses with his herd. 5 D. Fourth set of placements (2007) Themba was placed on farm Paardenkloof, Botriver, in February 2007 and had to be removed from the farm due to unwanted roaming behaviour. He was then placed on a second sheep farm within the free ranging cheetah area of South Africa. He started off well on the new farm but he began to roam again shortly after the bonding phase. He unfortunately had to be removed from the farm and was placed as a house dog with Mr. Valli Moosa. Alpha has developed into a very impressive looking dog. He continues to do very well and displays no serious behavioural problems. He is still shy of other people but will as before let Mrs. Brandt handle him and she reports he has now become accustomed to her sons as well. No livestock losses have been suffered since the placement and the farm owner is very happy with Alpha’s progress so far. A lot of predator activity has been reported by the owner, but no losses where Alpha is guarding. Bravo’s placement on the new farm progressed very well through the bonding process. He started to display hunting behaviour and was removed from the farm. The hunting behavior may have developed during the first placement and it resulted in Bravo being removed and placed as a companion dog. Charlie died of an unknown illness recently. De Wildt/Cheetah Outreach is still awaiting the official veterinarian’s report to confirm the cause of death. At the time of his death Charlie was a fully functional part of the flock and the owner was very distressed when Charlie died. He saw the impact Charlie had on his farming operation and has shown interest in acquiring a new dog when available. Delta has adjusted well and has become an integral part of the herd of cows. Her guarding skills are developing well and after the troublesome cow was removed from the herd she has shown an even stronger bond with the remaining members of her herd. The farmer is satisfied with the placement and the progress shown. The owner has sold his farm and will be moving out of wild cheetah area. He is so happy with Delta that he has requested to take Delta with him. Echo was replaced during August this year by Crikey and during the time that there was no guardian with the herd of cattle the owner reported losses to leopard. The placements of these two dogs 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. 6 E. Fifth set of placements (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. He was allocated to guard a herd of approximately 150 Kalahari red goats from caracal, black-backed jackal, leopards, brown hyena and cheetah. Gia was killed in the kraal by a snake within two weeks of placement. Cheetah Outreach/De Wildt will be placing another Anatolian on this farm to replace Gia. Pego is accompanying his goats to the veldt every day and is an integral part of the flock. The farmer is satisfied with the placement. Pego is a very protective guardian; the owner reported that during this breeding season two female cheetahs had their litters on the farm and no losses with the livestock was reported. The owners introduced sheep to Pego’s herd and he did not take to them very well. After an introduction period he accepted them and no has no problems with the herd of sheep. He ignores the sheep and sticks to his goats. F. Sixth set of placements (January 2008) Kilo was poisoned by one of the farm workers on the farm, after the last inspection visit. He was replaced by Kaitiaki during August this year Juliet was hurt by an aggressive goat and had her pelvic bone broken. She has fully recovered from the injury and is doing well. She 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 they are very happy with her. Hank is doing well, his is moving out into the veldt with his herd. After the confusion during the drought he has settled into a new routine very nicely and the owner is happy with his improvement. The owner reports no stock losses. Sunny: The owner reports that Sunny is doing very well. Sunny rotates between two flocks in adjacent camps. He is in good condition and has developed into a good working dog. The owner is very happy with Sunny and he reports no stock losses with the herd. Mike was placed on a farm in the Maastroom area. He worked well and the owner reports that he regularly saw evidence of Mike tangling with some or other predator. Unfortunately Mike developed an injury to his front leg and had problems walking and keeping up with the herd. He was taken to the veterinarian and we were told that the injury would not allow Mike to go on working in the veldt. He was removed from the farm and placed on a small holding where he is still guarding sheep but in a small fenced in area. He is doing well there and is in semi retirement. Issy was placed on a farm in the Tshipise area on the 28th of January 2008. She was progressing well in her training and the farmer was happy with the placement. Unfortunately she was injured severely by a goat ewe and died at the veterinarian clinic during treatment. 7 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. G. Seventh set of placements (June 2008) These puppies were the first placement in conjunction with Woolworths in the Cradock area of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. All the puppies will be guarding about 200 ewes that each farmer has allocated for this pilot program Mufasa was placed on the farm of Mr. J Kingwill. Mufasa guards his flock of sheep against black backed jackal and caracal. He has unfortunately started showing some problem behaviours and is currently under corrective training. The owner is happy to continue with the training, but even with the problems the owner is very happy with Mufasa. Scruffy was placed on the farm of Mr. J Bowker mainly to protect his herd against caracal and black backed jackal. The area he guards is quite mountainous and very good habitat for predators on the farm. He is well bonded to his herd of sheep and has become a part of the herd. He is doing well as a guardian out in the veldt and has settled into this new area well the owner is very happy with his progress. Roy was placed on the farm of Mr. K Donian, but under a cloud of doubt, where he was accused of biting and killing sheep on the neighboring farm he was removed and placed as a companion dog. Spot was placed on the farm of Mr. W Heyns and will be guarding his herds in the veldt and on pastures on the farm. He is a well developed dog and has a very strong bond with his herd. Spot is out in the veldt and guarding his herd there. He had an accident where he broke his hind leg, but was treated and is on his way to full recovery. Unnamed, the dog was placed on the farm of Mr. G Jordaan. She was doing well as a guardian, but she died due to snake bite during the summer. H. Eight set of placements (August 2008) Crikey was placed on the farm of Mr. A van der Westhuizen to replace Echo, who was shot. Crikey is a very well bonded and hard working dog. He is riding his luck and has successfully fended off four leopard attacks on his herd. In the last attack he was seriously injured, but after immediate treatment he survived and is back with his herd and working as hard as ever. What a dog! Kaitiaki was placed on the farm of Ms. A Engelbrecht. He whoever started to roam and stay at the house, where he played with the house dogs. The owners did not see their way open to continue with him as a guardian and we removed him. He got a second chance and was placed on a farm in the free ranging cheetah area near Maasstroom. He settled in well there and did not show any of his previous problems. He did not return home one day after the herd came back and is presumed lost due to snakebite. Kahu was placed on the farm of Mr. B Fouche. He is a first time owner, but is very committed to the programme. Kahu is well bonded to his herd of goats and is accompanying them as they graze out in the veldt. He is working well and there have been no behavioural problems to report. He is of great 8 assistance to the owner who is confined to a wheel chair. The owner is very happy with his progress and reports no stock losses. Charlie was placed on the farm of Mr. J Jones. He is well bonded with his flock of sheep. He is a hard working young dog and the owner is very happy with his progress. He has no behavioural problems and the owner reports no stock losses since he has been with the herd. Julliette was placed on the farm of Mr. R Gallow. He is also a first time owner. Julliette is bonded well to the herd and goes out with them the whole day. She stays close to the herd and is very alert and trustworthy. The owner is very happy with her and she has no problems to report. Rachel is working on the farm of Mr. L Nel where she is guarding a herd of sheep. The bond between her and the herd is very strong and all the members of the herd have accepted her as part of the herd. The herd only grazes around the homestead and does not move far away onto the farm. This is becoming a problem as Rachel now spends a lot of time on the yard and not with her sheep. She is always within hearing distance from them and will react immediately to any noise she might hear with them. I. Ninth set of placements (September 2008): These placements are part of the second set of placements in the collaboration between Cheetah Outreach and Woolworths South Africa. The set of 5 puppies were placed with farmers in the Cradock area. The puppies are all developing very well and are being monitored on a monthly basis. Peter is a very hard working and attentive guardian. He is well bonded and an integral part of his flock. The owner is very happy with his progress and reports that his neighbors having huge losses to predation but not him. He is full of praise for Peter. Joseph is well bonded and a very active guardian. The owner reports hearing him at all hours of the night barking in different areas of the camp. The owner is happy with his work rate, but unfortunately he has lost two lambs, to lynx, on his watch. Simon is a very attentive and well bonded guardian. His is out in the veldt and guarding his herd. He has lost none of his flock to predation and the owner is very happy with him. His is working in a mountainous area and this makes guarding his herd quite difficult. Dusty has turned out to be an excellent guardian. He is working well and is an integral part of his herd. The area that he is working in is also very mountainous and he has dealt well with this problem. The owner reports no stock losses and is happy with Dusty’s work. Charlie started off well and worked well with his herd, but he started playing rough and hurt some his herd. He received corrective training but did not respond well to it. After he kept up the behaviour it was decided to remove him. He was placed as a companion dog on the farm. 9 J. Tenth set of placements( October 2008): This litter of puppies was placed in the Tosca area of the Northwestern Province of South Africa. They were placed in this area because of the frequent movement of cheetah across the South African and Botswana border in this area. All the farmers are new owners and participants so we have high hopes for the success of the program in this area. Neeake was placed on the farm of Mr. P Knipe on the border with Botswana. He will be guarding his herd of goats in this area. The owner reports a lot of cheetah activity close to the area that Neeake is working in and he is glad to report that with the herd that Neeake is guarding he has lost nothing to predation. In the other herd of goats on another part of the farm he lost five goats to cheetah in one week. He has requested another dog for this herd. Masindi is working on the farm of Mr. B Grobler. She is well bonded and is moving out with her herd. She is developing rough play behaviour and is currently receiving corrective training. She has the ability to be a good guardian and we must just persist with the training. The owner is happy to do so and to turn this problem around. Gloria is working on the farm of Mr. G le Roux and she is guarding his herd of sheep. She is well bonded to her herd has turned out to be a very attentive and alert guardian. She is working hard and the owner is very happy with her as a guardian. He has reported no losses since she joined the herd. Phoenix was placed on the farm of Mr. L Roets and she is guarding a newly established herd of goats. She is well bonded to her herd and has not left them since she started accompanying them into the veldt. She 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 problems or stock losses to report. K. Eleventh set of placements (February 2009): This litter of puppies was also placed in the Tosca area of the Northwestern Province of South Africa. They were also placed in this area because of the frequent movement of cheetah across the South African and Botswana border in this area. All the farmers are new owners and participants so we have high hopes for the success of the program in this area. Amy was placed on the farm of Mr. J Botha. She is well bonded to her herd of goats and is nearing the end of her training phase. She will soon be accompanying her herd as they move out into the veldt to graze. She did have some roaming problems at the start of her training, but with corrective training this has been stopped. She should become a successful guardian. 10