Reintroduction of Wolves and Lynx into Britain

[Sully]

Same book

"The team found that sheep grazed behind fences were almost never killed by lynx and concluded that to cut losses to lynx, the likelihood of lynx and sheep encountering one another must be reduced. They recommend the use of simple stock netting or fencing which would have the effect of clumping sheep in more open areas of the landscape. Not only does this reduce the availability of ambush cover, but it reduces the likelihood of lynx encountering the sheep than if they were scattered more equally through the woods. 

Fences also introduce a barrier effect for the lynx, which is psychological rather than physical. Jumping even a small fence implies a deliberate action, so entering a sheep pasture is less likely to happen by chance. Furthermore when sheep are concentrated by fencing into a pasture they behave more as a flock and each individual benefits from the increased vigilance provided by many more pairs of eyes. So any lynx is very likely to be seen and to know it has been seen. This deters most lynx, as they much prefer to launch a surprise attack."

"In Switzerland, sheep and goat killing by lynx increased throughout the 1990s, reaching a high of over 200 losses in the year 2000. By then this was generating a great deal of conflict with local farmers. The swift government response was to develop a national lynx management plan and to invest in prevention measures. As well as dogs, the Swiss have also trialled the use of donkeys and llamas as livestock-guarding animals. Both of these species, when well integrated into sheep flocks, become very protective of their charges and aggressively chase away any lynx entering the pasture. A study in the Swiss Alps determined that 73% of lynx kills of sheep occurred either in the forest or within 100m of the forest edge and that sheep less than one year old are more susceptible than older sheep, with 78% of those killed falling into this age group. Researchers were able to advise farmers that the grazing of sheep and particularly lambs away from the forest edge reduces the risk considerably."

It's not hard to live alongside lynx, there just needs to be the motivation to make it work. Reply