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Thomas Gehring:
Preventing UP wolves from
preying on cattle
Biology
Wildlife biologist Thomas Gehring has been
testing the ability of Great Pyrenees guard
dogs to prevent wolves from preying on farm
livestock in the western Upper Peninsula.
Last year Gehring, associate professor of
biology, delivered 12 puppies – two each to
six different UP farms located in different
wolf-pack territories. These farms will be
compared to farms without dogs.
Purpose
“A wolf killing a cow sets off animosity
against wolves and can erode farmers’
tolerance for them. I hope that these dogs
will be a nonlethal management tool that
will alleviate this animosity.”
Why this breed of dog?
Great Pyrenees are aggressive toward
predators and protective of livestock while
not being overly aggressive toward people.
“They become extremely attached and bond
with whatever you assimilate
them to.”
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