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Fearless Italians: Shepherd unleashes giant dogs on bears

2023-04-23T06:59:37.316Z


A shepherd from the Trentino bear district protects his cattle with an Italian breed of dog. A role model for Bavaria, where a bear has now killed sheep? 


A shepherd from the Trentino bear district protects his cattle with an Italian breed of dog.

A role model for Bavaria, where a bear has now killed sheep? 

Cloz/Bayrischzell – What to do against bear attacks like now in Oberaudorf (Rosenheim district)?

Ivan Zanoni from Trentino shows how to keep bears away from the pasture.

He is an alpine farmer from the village of Cloz in the Val di Non.

He owns 170 sheep and 24 donkeys, which he drives to the Tuena Alm on Monte Peller in summer.

This is the mountain where 30 bears are said to live and where there have been several attacks by predators on humans, the last one on 26-year-old Jogger on April 5 was fatal.

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Dozens of bears live on Monte Peller

© Alessandra Zanotto Facebook

Shepherd dog chased away Bear and risked his life

To protect his animals from bears and wolves, Zanoni got two Maremma-Abruzzo sheepdogs in 2014.

These are giant beasts that originated in central Italy, where shepherds have used them against bears for centuries.

These dogs even risk their lives to defend the grazing animals.

"Since these dogs have been by my side, the cattle have been safe," reports Zanoni.

"Our Maremma male Velino already faced a bear to save the calf of one of my colleagues: Velino suffered injuries but survived," reports Zanoni.

He now has seven Maremma-Abruzzo shepherd dogs and has entrusted several puppies to other alpine farmers.

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A Maremma-Abruzzo Shepherd guards a flock of sheep.

© Sl-Ziga/wikipedia

Protection from wolves, bears and lynxes: The province provides financial support for the purchase of shepherd dogs

The Maremma Abruzzo Sheepdog is a large animal, females up to 68 centimeters high and 40 kilos in weight, males up to 73 centimeters in height and 45 kilos in weight.

The Autonomous Province of Trento financially supports the spread of the ancient breed of dogs to deter bears and wolves: there are currently more than 80 Maremma-Abruzzese Shepherd Dogs in the province.

Before being used, the Maremma-Abruzzese Shepherd Dogs are examined for their behavioral characteristics and ability to work. 

Courses are also offered to learn how to handle and use the Maremma dogs.

Paolo Zanghellini, head of the Trentino Forest Service, praises the dogs: “These shepherd dogs are very efficient, you can use them day and night.

They actively defend grazing livestock against large predators such as bears and wolves.” Traditionally, the Maremma-Abruzzo Shepherd Dog is raised with the animals it is tasked with guarding, then seeing them as its pack to defend.

You can then leave the herds to him.

According to mountaineer Reinhold Messner, humans are also responsible for the bear problem in Trentino.

The free-living bears are misused as a tourist attraction.

The 78-year-old raises serious allegations against a hotelier.

The bear is a wild animal and always remains unpredictable.

When encountering a bear, it is important to follow the rules of conduct.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-04-23

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