An idea proposed by Dr. Assaf Rosenthal to a farmer in Namibia, to integrate Anatolian dogs that are stamped and consider the flock of sheep part of their flock, thereby driving away predators that threaten the flock, saved the cheetah population in the African country from the bullets of the farmers
Many years ago I visited a friend at his farm in the Galilee. The farm has olive vineyards, herds of goats and a restaurant. One of the problems faced by my friends was: the predation of goats by jackals and wolves. A similar problem is faced by shepherds in many areas in Israel and around the world.
In the Golan and the Galilee there are those who try to solve the problem through poisoning. Poisoning animals is a crime, the poisoning directed against "predators-calves" harms the entire environment, carrion eaters, raptors and small predators die en masse, while the large predators learn to stay away from poisoned carcasses.
Another solution that is common in our country is "thinning" the population of predators, "thinning" meaning shooting wolves and jackals. In other countries, other predators pose a "threat" to "thinned" herds. In North America ranchers get permission to kill wolves, in Europe they shoot bears, in many countries in Africa they shoot tigers, lions, hyenas and cheetahs.
My friend went to someone who takes the right environmental solution. Shepherds in Anatolia, Turkey. For hundreds of years shepherds have been breeding large (and white) dogs that live in the herds. The dogs called "Anatolian Kangal" see the herd as their pack and are therefore also ready to protect every individual in the herd from predators.
My friend who brought Kangal puppies that were added to the herd said that there is no need to feed them or take care of them since in the field they find scraps and in the barn they eat a mixture. When a predator approaches they bark and that is enough to drive them away. That is, prevention of predation in herds by the "Anatolian solution".
In '92 I visited a farmer in Namibia. The farmer had herds of Karakol (black) sheep, and a large area where he built an accommodation facility from which tourists went out to watch wild animals. Herds of sheep versus wild animals including predators is not a simple combination in the conversation. The farmer admitted that in order to be able to continue hosting tourists he is willing to pay a tax - predation on the sheep herd.
The most disturbing predator is the cheetah. Ranchers all over Africa know that cheetahs are on the brink of extinction and therefore protected, yet they shoot cheetahs to protect sheep. Since the cheetah is territorial, when one individual is shot, time passes until its place is taken by another cheetah, a time that gives the farmer "breathing" space.
It is important to note again and emphasize that the cheetah is in danger of extinction, out of a world population of about 9000 cheetahs there are 3000 individuals in Namibia. The farmer I visited would also shoot the cheetahs whenever more sheep were killed than the "tax" which he was ready to triple in favor of his guests. I offered him the "Anatolian solution". I recently visited the same farmer, already at the entrance to the farm I noticed several white figures among the herds of black sheep. When we met I asked and it turns out that the "Anatolian solution" gained momentum in Namibia. Many ranchers import the Anatolian shepherd dogs and see results. Starting in '94, about 300 dogs were imported.
More and more farmers in Namibia are buying kangaroo puppies, through nature conservation organizations. The dogs are handed over to the farmers when they are eight weeks old. An age when the puppies are "imprinted" on the sheep or goats and therefore see them as their flock. The success is so great that farmers in Drap and Kenya import the dogs and add them to their herds.
Farmers who own dogs report an 80% decrease in predation and a 30% increase in the cheetah population in their surroundings, an increase that does not harm the herds. Not only cheetahs, populations of jackals and tigers that were considered "enemies" of the herd are recovering and standing alongside the herds without harming them.
In South Australia, on an island near the coast, there live penguins, foxes that were brought to the island, and wild dogs that prey on them, so much so that in recent years their number has dropped from 1000 to 10. To save the penguins, the nature conservation authorities brought in sheepdogs that originated in Italy, the Maremmas dogs. The dogs behave like The Anatolian Kangal, are stamped on the herd / herd around which in the present case are penguins, and keep them mad. Within two years, 80 penguins were counted. The success has spread and from all over the world people are asking and testing the possibility of using dogs to protect endangered animal species.
Here we often hear about poisonings as a result of herders' attempts to remove predators from the area, and again, poisonings that harm the entire environment, so let the experts in nature conservation and the environment in our country come, the cattle herders in the Golan come, and explain to me, why not resort to the "Anatolian solution" in our environment?
29 תגובות
Yacoub:
What I interpreted in my words as economic efficiency was actually written with an ecological intention.
Excessive consumption of water is an ecological problem - one of the most serious we have.
Emission of methane (which is a greenhouse gas) is also an ecological problem.
All it takes to go vegetarian is a decision.
It is no more expensive, no more complicated and no less tasty or nutritious than a carnivorous lifestyle.
Dear Michael, I haven't walked the whole way yet and I wish I would walk half of it, little by little, vegetarianism from an ideal requires preparation, and we all need to be humanitarian towards ourselves, because as we know humanitarian
It means human. But I was talking about the ecological side of cattle grazing (by the way, it's interesting, you must have heard about the contamination of the springs of Eden water caused by bacteria from cattle excrement, which due to the scanty rains were not washed properly) The ecological side is undoubtedly damaged by cattle grazing, but you also touched on the economic point of land utilization Raising cattle in pasture is really not efficient and economical.
And regarding vegetarianism, which is known to be a doomsday vision - I am unequivocally in favor, but I have not yet won
Yacoub:
I thought you would already go all the way and suggest people become vegetarians.
Using land to grow meat is one of the least efficient ways to create food.
I recently read, for example, that the calculated water consumption of a meat eater is twice that of a vegetarian.
Please note - this is not about water consumption for eating only, but about total water consumption (including flushing the toilet and showers). I don't know if the figure is accurate, but it must reflect something.
As we know, beyond the increased consumption of almost any resource, the herds also contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
That's why vegetarianism - which I came to personally for humanitarian reasons, may one day become a law for reasons of efficiency and lack of natural resources.
The above patent has been in the Golan Heights for about 15 years and works well
Malicious poisonings exist as well and in my estimation it is a matter of one morning or years because the majority of the cowboys are responsible and caring.
It is difficult for a farmer to see the fruit of his labor go down the drain, but nothing justifies mass poisoning that damages an entire chain and most ironically does not harm the direct enemies of the herd, so that apart from massive damage like what happened to eagles in the Golan about two years ago, the problem is not solved.
I'm throwing out a topic for discussion:
Is there any justification for the existence of cattle herds in the vast territories of the Golan and the Galilee?
What is their contribution to ecology (or is it their damage)
Is it justified to keep a herd of several hundred head of cattle on about 15000-20000 dunams
causing the extinction of endemic species and many carcasses
And all this for a single farmer who I don't belittle for a second his right to make a decent living but the price, the price!
Has anyone done a conversion calculation of carbohydrates, proteins (pasture-meat)
Isn't it better to wean calves in an arranged weaner (300 calves-5 dunams) the meat is also of better quality (personally I almost don't eat meat)
That's it, go out and think
Stunning.
Hugin:
Something about animal thought:
http://fun.mivzakon.co.il/flash/video/2344/2344.html
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Uri Sharon
Dogs belong to the CAN type and not to the HOMO type
And one more thing, Michael,
We must check whether dogs are included in the term: 'homospecies'?
Or are they 'faithful' allies (in heart/senses/emotions) that accompany him, precisely because that stage of development lost (at this expense) senses necessary for survival? 😉
Michael:
It is possible that in order to get out of that tangle of an issue: do dogs 'think'? We must first define the term 'thinking' according to accepted and original values and only then see or check in retrospect whether the same values we attribute to 'thinking' apply to the entire breed of dogs.
Also, we must define what sensing/senses and instinct are and again check based on those values.
The same with regard to the value of 'conditioning', 'habit', 'learning processes',
As far as I know the term: 'interpretation' is related to a mental/emotional thought process, we must also check the same terms and whether to generalize them in the same relation to seeing dogs smelling or feeling the same 'trash' like us, or otherwise.
(And of course we must not forget (as an existing fact/and without bias) that we too, as 'interpreters', have various enhanced or weakened qualities that control our relative levels of 'objectivity', accordingly).
I will in any case investigate, on the subject of 'the thought' and upload sources accordingly (if it is even requested later).
fair:
When you refuse to acknowledge the thinking of dogs and say that dogs sense the sincerity of a person's intentions in response to my story about a dog that is afraid of me, it is very difficult not to interpret this as a claim that I have any dishonest intentions when I approach the dog.
If that was not your intention it should have been clarified.
Be that as it may, as mentioned, the reaction of this dog in a similar way towards all people indicates the great doubt he has as to whether they are a companion or a predator.
In general there is a lot of evidence for the thinking of dogs.
A dog that gets used to being walked while on a leash jumps for joy when it sees its owner take the leash.
Sometimes, when his owner doesn't, he may bring him the leash.
The owners, sometimes, take advantage of this reaction of the dog to easily take him out of the house and into the yard without walking him.
They just go out into the yard with the leash, the dog runs after them and then they come back home and close the door without letting the dog in.
After a while the dog learns to suspect the owner's intentions.
He may develop a different reaction to the leash being taken by different people and there are times when he will not agree to go out without the leash being wrapped around his neck.
Of course, you can also "fix" it that way.
Michael:
I had no intention of offending at all, for what and why?
I referred more to the issue of the 'intelligence' of dogs in the question of whether they 'think' or actually 'feel'.
Also in my previous response no. 13, I point out that it is difficult to define the 'thought' of dogs, especially because they are 'conditioned' by total loyalty to their owners and their (owners') thoughts. However, sometimes you can see subtleties that they feel in a sharp 'instinct', which a person is not used to feeling, and therefore They are an interesting indication of knowing ourselves in general.
And as I said, both in small children and in the elderly, it is known that the same ability to distinguish is sharper, because the way of sensing is different, (they call it a seeing heart).
Since both you and Aryeh brought up examples from life, I allowed myself to share with you my experience, or rather 'viewed' from my own experience and observing the specific behaviors encountered by people/dogs, etc.
*For the specific case of the particular dog you referred to, there is the possibility that, like between people, there are situations
of interpersonal 'chemistry' or the lack thereof perhaps also between dogs and people is equally valid....
Or maybe this is also a case of sensory impairment in that dog whose 'memory is strange'?,, Maybe that dog has lost some of his senses?? Maybe he is exhausted?? Or maybe the opposite: he is conditioned by his owner to always be alert??
Apart from that, we made a bit of a wild generalization regarding all dogs, but even among them there are different breeds with slightly different abilities between breeds.
Hugin:
The case I described does not fit your description for the following two reasons:
1. Apart from the dog I mentioned - all the other dogs I know treat me the same way they treat Avner's family.
2. The dog in question behaves like this in everyone.
3. You can believe me that my whole intention is to like this dog too. In general - what "correct" intention do you want to imply that I "sense"?
I, basically, am only insulted by humans and I find your comment insulting.
I remember Lee Marvin's song in one of the movies in which the line appears
Snow can burn your eyes but only people make you cry
Michael and Aria,, so dogs 'think' or 'emotionally detect' the sincerity of our thoughts/or the intentions of the stranger's heart?
I used to say that from 3 - I can hurt to the depths of my soul... small children, old people, and dogs.
And why? They are the indication of the true honesty that is in you. If you passed their test, it means that you are clean inside, and if not, probably something temporary/or cast,, has gone wrong between your outer world and your inner world,,
In short, the memory of dogs is more emotional/sensual. Also their immediate attraction to people they have not met before is more instinctive and emotional.
Not often you can see a certain dog owner who does not 'like' a certain person but the dog starts whining and showing discomfort, on the one hand he is loyal to his owner and on the other hand he 'feels' something 'good' that his owner has not yet recognized... in the opposite case, they may also recognize 'danger' ' which is presented to their owners by a sensory detection ability such as 'a type of hidden sweat coming from a stranger that may cause their 'feelings' to harm their owners-or their proteges,
It's not exactly a 'thought' as we define it, but a 'feeling' or 'instinct' (which is a reliable and loyal intelligence in itself).
Following Michael's words. There is no doubt that your diagnosis is correct. We have a dog that loves our friend very much and there are reasons for that. Every time she comes to visit, the dog really has to be tied up for the first few minutes because she jumps on the company hysterically and literally cries with excitement. Then they let her go and the friend goes for a walk with her so that the rest of the rampage will be outside and both of them will relax. The same reactions occur and with the same intensity even when a long time passes between visits.
Hugin:
Although thought does not consist only of doubting, the fact is that dogs also doubt.
Of course they don't doubt the existence of black holes because this topic is not at all in their minds, but if they don't know you they can, for example, question the sincerity of your intentions when you call them.
My neighbor has a dog that seems to suffer from severe difficulties in forming long-term memory.
Every time I enter the same friend's house, the dog runs away despite all my gestures of affection.
Each time it takes me time - again - to acquire his trust and in the end he does come and let me pet him - but the memory does not last until the next visit and the story repeats itself.
Michael:
Perhaps the question is whether dogs 'doubt'..? According to this it is possible to examine whether they 'think'..
It is probably difficult to define independent thought under the conditions of unconditional affection and total belonging loyalty.
Hugin:
Regardless of the article - do you doubt that dogs think?
By the way, did you notice that the dogs in this article were crowned as 'thinkers'?
It is not by chance that the dog is called man's best friend. This is exactly why our ancestors domesticated the dog.
And we have another example of the evolution of a meme.
Actually it's more beautiful than just an example.
Anyone who reads articles on evolution will surely come across the term "co-evolution" - that is - the joint development of several species while adapting to each other (sometimes competitively and sometimes symbiotically).
The current example is an example of the symbiotic co-evolution of memes with genes - of ideas with living beings.
Fascinating and happy.
A great idea…
They eat their friends and drink their blood in a straw.
What do the friends of the penguins eat? fish? And what do they drink? Who is the sea?
Wasn't there such a program in NG?
Amazing! An excellent idea, simple, cheap, humane and green, the Ministry of Agriculture must adopt, give incentives and monitor the dogs so that they do not become victims of the solution.
Maybe it's called 'recruiting the good nature to its faithful role'? Amazing.
Why not direct this article to the Ministry of Environmental Quality or the Society for the Protection of Nature, not all of them are sealed there.
What a creative thought to address the problem
Stunning