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Iberian Wolf Recovery Center, Portugal

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Iberian Wolf Recovery Center, Portugal Mission d’écovolontariat 2016 Iberian Wolf Recovery Center, Portugal Vous pouvez librement télécharger ce document ainsi que les documents correspondant aux autres missions sur la page web réservée à chaque mission, sur le site www.cybelle-planete.org Il est nécessaire que vous puissiez communiquer en anglais durant certaine mission, nous vous présentons donc certains documents en anglais. Le texte de ce document est développé en collaboration avec le projet. Chaque année il sera mis à jour, si nécessaire. Cela dit, vous risquez, une fois sur le terrain de constater des différences entre ce que vous avez lu et ce que vous vivez. Il faut comprendre que pour réaliser et suivreCybelle un Planète, programme association lié àloi la 1901 faune sauvage, une certaine flexibilité est requise. 19 rue St Exupéry, 34430 St Jean de Védas, France N°SIREN : 489 707 174 - Imm Cybelle Planète, association loi 1901 19 rue St Exupéry, 34430 St Jean de Védas, France, France N°SIREN : 489 707 174 - Immatriculation OVS IM034100008 Tél. 0467603015Cybelle – email Planète, info@cybelle association-planete.org loi 1901 47 Grand’Rue, 34750 Villeneuve-Lès-Maguelone, France, N°SIREN : 489 707 174 - Immatriculation OVS IM034100008 1 atriculation OVS IM034100008 Tél. 0467642560 – email : [email protected] Tél. 0467603015 – email : [email protected] Summary Project presentation ............................................................................................................................... 3 Species .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Volunteers role ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Useful skills / requirements .......................................................................................................................... 4 Program schedule ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Location .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Travel information ................................................................................................................................... 5 Dates ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Price ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 Internships ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Capacity....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Join the project ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Language ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Communication .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Health precautions ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Clothing and equipment ........................................................................................................................... 6 Accommodation ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Food .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Other activities ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Useful information ................................................................................................................................... 8 Currency : Euro (€) ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Extra expenses ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Evaluating your budget .............................................................................................................................. 8 Medical information.................................................................................................................................... 8 Before departure .................................................................................................................................. 8 Insurance ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Passport/Visa and country information .................................................................................................... 8 Missions Loups au Portugal 2 Project presentation The Iberian Wolf Recovery Centre (IWRC) was created in 1987 by Grupo Lobo, an independent, non-profit association devoted to the conservation of the Iberian wolf and its habitat in Portugal. This project was founded with the aim of providing an adequate captivity environment for wolves no longer able to live in the wild and also to promote the wolf. Currently the project cares for 16 wolves. These wolves were rescued from illegal captivity or were born at the Centre. The project tries to rehabilitate the wolves and ensures their welfare, and they will stay at the center for the rest of their lives. The project covers a total area of 17 hectares in a forested and isolated valley. The wolves live in enclosures of different sizes, with good vegetation cover, providing adequate shelter. The project tries to give the wolves a life as similar to that in the wild as possible. The wolves may be observed through the enclosure fences or from several observation towers within the area. The project provides the best possible care for wolves; it also enables research studies mostly concerning social behaviour. These studies together with fieldwork in the wild, form the basis for information campaigns seeking to inform the population about the true nature of the wolf. The project also organizes guided visits and educational days for schoolchildren, organized groups and the general public. Guided visits consist of tours along pedestrian trails which allow the public to observe and learn about wolves. These educational activities seek to spread correct information about the wolf and are of extreme importance to wolf conservation, by destroying the old myths and beliefs that motivate the wolf’s persecution. Species The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus Cabrera, 1907), inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula, is one of the many subspecies of wolves found in the world. It is slightly smaller and lighter in colour than northern wolves and has a long face with a pointed muzzle and short triangular ears. The eyes are triangular with a golden color and the legs are long and strong. Wolves live in family groups - packs - which are composed of 2 to 8 members, depending on food availability and human pressure. Wolf packs have a highly developed social hierarchy based on age, strength and experience. Wolves enjoy living in a group, show mutual affection and cooperate with each other in providing care for hunting and feeding. Wolves are monogamous and usually only the dominant couple (alpha male and female) reproduces. The alpha couple seems to decide a set of activities which are fundamental for survival, such as hunting areas, resting places and breeding sites. Wolves are territorial and each pack defends its territory from other wolves. At present, the number of wolves on the whole of the Iberian Peninsula is an estimated 2000, 300 of which in Portugal. Throughout the 19th century the wolf occurred in virtually all of Portugal’s national territory. The decline in wolf population has been noted since 1910. Today, despite the wolf's conservation status, several studies suggest that the wolf population in Portugal still continues to decrease, retreating to the border regions of the Braga and Viana do Castelo districts, to Trás-os-Montes and parts of the Aveiro, Viseu and Guarda districts. The main causes for the decline of the wolf population are direct persecution by humans and the extermination of the wolf's natural, wild prey – red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). The decline is made worse by the fragmentation and destruction of wolf habitat, and by the increasing numbers of feral/stray dogs. The direct persecution by shepherds and hunters – furtive hunting, removing and killing pups from dens, trapping and poisoning – is based on a wide-spread belief that wolves attack humans and domestic animals. Attacks of wolves on domestic animals do indeed occur but are
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