Aviemore sheepdogs will keep off the wolves and eagles!
With white-tailed eagles establishing themselves in the Cairngorms National Park again, one enterprising business is offering an effective, eco-friendly way to protect young lambs from predation.
Not that Jonny and Daisy Ames, at Rothiemurchus by Aviemore, are entirely convinced that the lambs are under airborne threat from the UK’s largest bird of prey.
“They’re more likely to scavenge like vultures on carcases,” Mr Ames told the Strathy earlier this week, “but this seems like a good opportunity to introduce Maremma sheep dogs into the national park.
“They’re wonderful animals who do a superb job of protecting herds from wolves in the Italian Alps and we thought we’d bring two over here to train them up and show them off.”
The Ames have run Rothiemurchus Falconry for 18 months now since moving up from the south and have an impressive collection of birds for showing and flying, including owls and hawks.
Dogs Luigi and Peaches are now being trained up to protect the flock, courtesy of a special drone the couple fly, featuring an eagle lure which stimulates the dogs into action.
“The breed has been doing its guardian role
since the Romans,” said Mr Ames.
“In the Alps, they roam around with the flocks and deter the more usual predators, wolves. And yet with people, Maremma as the gentlest, most loving dogs imaginable.
“They are adorable.”
Farmers swear by the dogs, which also have a formidable reputation for deterring birds of prey during lambing time and in those vital early months of life.
Among the birds of prey at Rothiemurchus is the Ames’ own white-tailed eagle.
“In our a controlled environment, we will let the dogs see her eat what they think is a sheep carcass. Before they go and try it for real, they will have seen a predator eating what they think is their sheep.
“We’re trying our best to make them aware that an eagle is a predator but in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly way.
“In other countries the system has been hugely successful for generations and there’s no reason it should be a boon here.”
The birds are more generally known now as sea eagles since the species was hounded away to the coast over years of persecution by farmers.
