Wild Ungulates Constitute the Basis of the Diet of the Iberian Wolf in a Recently Recolonized Area: Wild Boar and Roe Deer as Key Species for Its Conservation
by
, , , ,
Isabel Barja
1,2,*
,
Álvaro Navarro-Castilla
1,2,
Lorena Ortiz-Jiménez
1,
Ángel España
1,
Roberto Hinojosa
3,
David Sánchez-Sotomayor
1,
Ángel Iglesias
1,
José España
4,
Sergio Rubio-Sánchez
5,
Santiago Martín-Romero
5,
Juan Vielva
6 and
Fernando Horcajada-Sánchez
5 1
Unidad de Zoología, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
2
Research Centre in Biodiversity and Global Change (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
3
SIGNATUR, Carretera de la Sierra, 45, Villavieja del Lozoya, 28739 Madrid, Spain
4
SIGNATUR, C/Asunción Castell, 22, 28739 Madrid, Spain
5
Centro de Investigación, Seguimiento y Evaluación del Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama, TRAGSA, 28740 Madrid, Spain
6
Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Vivienda y Agricultura, Centro de Investigación, Seguimiento y Evaluación del Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama, 28740 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2023, 13(21), 3364; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213364
Submission received: 27 September 2023
/
Revised: 19 October 2023
/
Accepted: 25 October 2023
/
Published: 30 October 2023
(This article belongs to the Section Wildlife)
Simple Summary
We conducted a study in central Spain to understand the dietary habits of the Iberian wolf. Our aim was to evaluate the extent to which they prey on domestic ungulates. We analyzed the composition of their diet by examining prey hairs found in 671 wolf scat samples collected between 2017 and 2021. The wolves predominantly consumed wild ungulates rather than domestic ones. Among their preferred prey were wild boar and roe deer. Although their diet varied with seasons, years, and forest regions, a preference for wild ungulates over domestic ones remained consistent.
Abstract
The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is recolonizing historical distribution areas after decades of absence. As in other human-dominated landscapes, finding a balance to protect this species by favoring recolonization and mitigating human–wildlife conflicts is a challenge. Since wolves are often generalist opportunistic predators, we studied their diet composition in central Spain to evaluate the consumption of domestic ungulates and provide reliable data that could help local authorities to deal with the current wolf–cattle ranchers conflict and coexistence. Diet composition (% prey occurrence, % prey ingested biomass) was analyzed through the identification of prey hairs present in 671 scats collected between 2017 and 2021. The wolves fed more on wild ungulates (82% occurrence) than domestic ones (18%). Wild boar (Sus scrofa, 44% occurrence) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, 35%) were the most consumed prey. The wolves positively selected these two species. The wolves’ diets varied between seasons, years, and forest regions, but a diet based on wild ungulates predominated over domestic ones. Food niche breadth showed variations depending on seasons and years. Preserving the availability and diversity of wild ungulates may favor reducing livestock attacks and would be an achievable goal that would help to conserve this species and reduce conservation conflicts.
