D
awn coloured the sky as I drove up a steep 4WD track,
ready for a day of fieldwork on Riversdale, a grazing
property in northern Victoria. The night before had been
freezing, and the forecast predicted snow on the higher parts
of the property, which was where I was headed. As I drove up
to the gate leading to the main sheep paddock, four robust
white dogs charged towards me, barking vigorously. They clearly
meant business. Anybody would think twice about exiting the
car, let alone entering the paddock. Luckily, I knew these dogs.
Once they recognised my scent, I knew they would stop barking
and give me a quick greeting before returning to their duties. In
fact, these dogs were the main reason I was on the mountain in
the snow; these Maremma sheepdogs were the subjects of my
research. For several years now, these watchful canines had been
safeguarding Riversdale, managing to put a stop to predation on
adult sheep and to increase lambing rates by 70%. Clearly they
excelled at their job, and it was my job to know everything about
them: where they went, what they got up to, how they worked,
and how they fitted into the ecosystem.
Warding off would-be lamb killers
While livestock guardian dogs are a relatively new concept
in Australia, in Europe and Asia they have been used for
thousands of years. Maremmas originate in Italy, where they
have successfully protected livestock from wolves and bears.
My visit to Riversdale was the start of several years of intensive
field research involving three properties running Maremma
sheepdogs for livestock protection. After they started using
Maremmas, each property saw predation reduce dramatically,
and they’re not the only ones. My previous research with
Chris Johnson revealed that out of a survey of 150 livestock
producers, 96% indicated predation had significantly decreased
after they started using guardian dogs, and 66% indicated
predation had ceased altogether. All possible livestock types
were included in the survey, and predators included dingoes,
feral dogs, foxes, quolls, Tasmanian devils and others. We
found that Maremmas were as successful on large rangeland
operations as on small hobby farms.CONSERVATION INNOVATION
It is not just citizens getting involved with conservation – some of our companion animals are also
helping out. Introduced carnivores continue to have negative consequences for Australian wildlife, but
guardian dogs are now helping to counter that. Maremma sheepdogs protect livestock and threatened
species from cats, foxes, and dingoes, and may even act as proxy top-level predators to prevent ‘trophic
cascades’. Ecologist Linda van Bommel explains.
Photo: Linda van Bommel
RISE OF THE
GUARDIANS
MAREMMAS AS PROTECTORS AND
SURROGATE TOP PREDATORS
Wildlife Australia | 15