Investigation of the influence of the wolf on ungulates, with a focus on fallow deer
Commissioners/Financing: Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Deutscher Jagdverband e.V. Berlin, Gut Stieten GmbH & Co. KG, Freundeskreis freilebender Wölfe e.V. Much-Marienfeld
Project employees: Dr. Norman Stier, M. Sc. Vendula Meißner-Hylanová, M.Sc, Maria Kruk, Dipl.-Geoökol. Marcus Borchert
Running period: 2015–2024
We are currently working on the final report, which will be available for download under “Research reports” as soon as it is ready.
To resolve human-wildlife-wolf conflicts - also as a prerequisite for successful management of the species - sound knowledge of the interactions between wildlife and their environment is an indispensable prerequisite.
The aim of this research project is to record the space-time pattern of fallow deer and wolves in the same habitat in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A statewide collection and analysis of scats to determine the prey range of the wolf will complement the research approach. Using wolf tracking data, prey will be located and analyzed for wolf preference in species, age, sex and level of use. The proportions of telemetered fallow deer preyed upon by wolves will be used to determine mortality rates. Furthermore, the study focuses on the analysis of the mother-child relationship in fallow deer.
By Dec. 31, 2022, 34 (17 male, 17 female) adult fallow deer were tagged with GPS-GSM collar transmitters instead of the planned 20. In addition, for the first time in fallow deer research, a larger number of freshly born fallow calves (84) were successfully fitted with miniature ear tag transmitters. Five of these fallow calves marked with ear tag transmitters could be re-transmitted with a GPS collar transmitter at the age of 1-3 years. A total of five times it was possible to mark the calf of a tagged mother, so that an intersection of the tracking data of the mother and the calf is possible. This is also unique in fallow deer research.
The multitude of results form the basis for the development of transferable concepts for long-term sustainable management of ungulates in the presence of wolf colonization.
