Protect your animals: keep the wolf at bay with an electric fence
Protecting livestock and sheep from wolves
Since 2017, wolves have been regularly spotted in the Netherlands. Wolves cause a lot of nuisance and unrest among livestock and sheep farmers. Over the past week, there have been multiple reports from Drenthe about livestock farmers finding dead animals, likely due to the actions of the wolf. In the southern part of the country, it has already been confirmed that animals have been killed by a wolf.
How can you best combat wolves?
There are now many questions about how to best combat wolves. At this moment, wolves are protected in the Netherlands, which means they cannot be shot. Experts, therefore, advise using a good electric fence to protect your livestock as much as possible. Wolves are particularly sensitive to electric fences because, unlike hooved animals, they have direct contact with the ground. As a result, they feel the shock more intensely. In this article, we will explain what to consider when setting up a fence to deter wolves.
Deterring wolves with electric fencing
Standard fences often do not provide adequate protection against wolves due to their limited height. To deter a wolf, Gallagher recommends the following for the most optimal results:
1. Minimum fence height of 1.20 meters
The new Line Post is perfectly suitable for this purpose!
2. Use 5 - 7 horizontal electric wires
Pay attention to the quantity and type of conductive wires in the conductor. The more, the better the conduction, ensuring consistent power throughout your fence.
3. Use a powerful electric fence energizer
For wolves, it is advised that there should be a minimum of 4.5 Kilovolts on the fence. It is better to choose an energizer designed for a longer distance than you need. This way, you can ensure that there is no power loss due to high vegetation, as the energizer will burn away the vegetation.
4. Replace the top wire with electric tape
This is even more visible and will make the wolf turn back even sooner. We especially recommend this for mobile fences.
5. Use a Fox light as an addition to your fence
With the Fox light on your fence, you create the illusion that someone is patrolling the area, thanks to the light flashes emitted by the Fox light. This will keep the wolf away from your fence.
We offer both permanent and mobile solutions to deter wolves from your sheep or livestock. You can find more information about the types and benefits on our website on the wolf page.
Important: Check your wolf fence to keep it safe, once your wolf fence is installed, it does not mean you can ignore it. It is crucial to ensure the safety of your livestock by regularly maintaining the installed fence and checking it.
Wolves like to search for gaps and openings in the fence. They not only try to go over a fence but also through it. Therefore, check if all wires are taut and in their original positions.
It is also important that your electric fence energizer works well and is strong enough to provide power to your entire fence. Therefore, regularly check at multiple points (including the back of the field) with an electric fence tester to ensure that there is sufficient power (at least 4.5 kV against wolves) on your fence. Without power, your fence is not safe for your livestock, as the wolf knows how to find the weak spots in your fence.
Would you like to quickly check your entire fence?
Then use the Gallagher check to go through everything step by step.
