THE REPERCUSSIONS OF PRESERVING AN OVERPOPULATION OF WOLVES IN ROMANIA

Neculai Şelaru, Dr. Eng. Mugurel Drăgănescu, Eng. Introduction

The evolution of the wolf population in Romania, for the past 66 years, represents a classic example of exaggerated protection, a complete lack of professionalism and pragmatism, in an attempt to preserve overpopulations of large carnivores, taking into consideration the more artificialized habitat which is currently becoming less favorable for most of the hunting species.

From a relatively numerous and exceptionally qualitative wolf population, consisting in vigorous, healthy and wild specimens that have allowed Romania to break their own world record concerning “wolf fur” in 1997, the country runs the risk, due to such exaggerated protection, to end up with a numerically reduced population, but at the same time, one that is more detrimental for animal breeders and hunters and obviously, qualitatively spoiled, with smaller, diseased, scavenger and, according to the latest data, impure specimens due to mating with wild dogs.

Current habitat

Fig. 1. Wolf distribution in Romania (according to N.I.R.D.F.) • The wolf habitat in Romania mainly overlaps with the afforested sites in the country in the high hills and mountain area, with a relatively reduced human density. • Apart from this relatively continuous habitat, that extends on both sides of the Carpathian Mountains, the wolf may also be found in the Apuseni Mountains and, rarely, in Dobrogea and the Romanian Plain. • It thus creates a habitat of around 100,000 km2 (10,000,000 ha), meaning almost half of the hunting surface of the country.

Evolution of the real numbers, recorded yields Dynamics of wolf numbers, graphically highlighted and natural wolf growth rates based on the statistical data gathered since 1950 and up to present times, has the following explanations: • during 1950 – 1970, wolf numbers have deliberately been diminished by shooting, entrapping and poisoning, in order to reduce the damage done to animal breeders and to enable the increase in the numbers of hunting prey species (mainly deer, buck, chamois and boar); • a 20-year period followed, between 1970 and 1990, when the wolf population was maintained, by using the same hunting means and methods, at the relatively constant level of around 2,000 specimens, in a consistently followed balance, with the populations of the hunting prey species; • for the period of over 20 years that followed, after putting the wolf under strict protection, its numbers started growing dramatically as a consequence of law restrictions and the drastic reduction of yielding quotas, up to 4,000 specimens, and after 2005, it decreased relatively abruptly to a level of around 2,000 specimens, due to the decrease in the numbers of hunting prey species (deer, buck, chamois). • one may also note that, along with the decrease in yield quotas, the natural growth of the wolf population also diminished, an absolutely normal action following the population self-regulation determined by the more difficult access of wolves to specific fare.

Findings •Within a period of 20 to 25 years, estimated between 1965 and 1991, when the wolf population was maintained at a relatively constant level of around 2,000 specimens, a level deemed to be in balance with the numbers of prey populations, around 1,500 wolves have been annually extracted; •The wolf specimens in the reference period were vigorous, healthy, wild and less damaging than they are now for animal breeders, as a consequence of the presence of abundant specific fare in the natural environment; we may notice that this was the period when the two world records for of Romania, for “wolf fur”, as well as the national record for “wolf skull” were achieved; •After 1990 and after the wolf went under strict protection, the wolf population began to abruptly increase to over 4,000 specimens (in 2004), and later on, to steadily decrease due to the pressure exercised, including by the wolf, on hunting prey populations (mainly deer, buck, chamois and boar); •The mechanisms of population self-regulation, in the case of the wolf in our country, could not however prevent the qualitative degradation of the population and the wolf becoming less damaging to animal breeders and hunters; •We notice lately more and more specimens of scavenger wolves and, according to the latest data, impure specimens due to mating with the domesticated dog; One may also notice the increase in adversity of the rural population, particularly animal breeders, towards the wolf.

Conclusion

• Out of too much protection, the preservation of wolf populations, normal from a numeric point of view, vigorous, healthy and wild, is endangered due to the increase in the damages done to animal breeders and hunters, which only increases the adversity of such social strata towards the species itself. • Considering the aforementioned, the natural question arises about when we did operate a performing management for hunters and more favorable for the wolf species: • during 1965 – 1990, when, for a number of around 2,000 wolves, approximately 1,500 wolves/year were annually extracted, or • in the present, when, after diminishing the yield figures to around 300 – 350 wolves/year, the population self- regulation mechanism was triggered at approximately the same population level (of around 2,000 specimens) and not even a problematic or degenerate specimen is being shot? • The future of the wolf population in Romania depends on the answer to this question, and not only on that!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. M. Comşia – Biologia şi principiile culturii vânatului, Academiei Publishing House, Bucharest, 1961; V. Cotta and M. Bodea – Vânatul României, Agrosilvică Publishing House, Bucharest, 1969; C. Promberg and col – Ursul/Biologie, ecologie şi management, Hako Publishing House, 2000; N. Şelaru and N. Goicea – Evoluţia postbelică a populaţiilor de lup din România, „Vânătorul şi Pescarul Român” Magazine, no. 1/2005. **** – Statistics for hunting numbers and yield quotas during 1950- 2016. **** – Action plan for preserving large carnivores in Europa. **** – „Vânătorul şi Pescarul Sportiv” and „Vânătorul şi Pescarul Român” Magazines, published during 1953 – 2016.