We have sheep here in the mountains mostly (Romania). They are sustainable, and have been for thousands of years. Just not in the kind of numbers it was done in Australia, and we still have plenty of wolves and bears. There are occasional attacks from wild animals on sheep, but not as much as one would think. The flocks are protected at all times by shepherds and dogs and wolves prefer not to get too close to them. Bears too avoid humans as much as they can, so it seems to work fine for all parties involved.
In australia the sheep have to roam over large areas of land to be profitable in the arid range lands, and so are left to roam on their own, easy picking for dingoes. Some farmers are starting to use guard animals like donkey and lamma in some areas with some effect. But there is no way tomorotect from the goats and sheep. More grass and watering points in farms have allowed these animals to increase in great numbers in areas with no dingoes
Completely different enviroment in Aus predators are actually low on the list of concerns fixed are an issue for poultry and to a less extent lambs but the main issue is other grazing animals that have artificially high numbers due to water troughs. Having dingos around helps as they control feral goat and pig populations and keep kangaroo numbers in check which allows farmers to rest paddocks so that grass can regrow. In most parts of Aus grazing only works if done over a large area and always with rotation of grazing areas, otherwise the ground becomes depleted. Some areas might only see rain a few times a year some years. There are cattle stations bigger than France once you get into the really dry dessert.
The US park system reestablished wolves in Yellowstone Park. They preyed on elk and other herbivores foraging near rivers. Many tree species came back strong. Erosion was reduced, beavers and turtles came back and the rivers, now lined with trees better resembled their historic profiles and more! Blows my mind!
It's considered a keystone species for a reason. Large predators are needed in nature to maintain equilibrium. Human hunters don't play the same role. Wolves and other large predators go for the sick and young. Which keep ungulate population healthier and free of disease.
@@anthonybanchero3072 Yeah, also I think livestock lost to predators doesn't happen that often. In America ranchers lose more from wild hog and other unchecked ungulates over grazing and causing damage, as well as disease, and accidents. Livestock lost to predation is infrequent but of course predators like wolves have been unfairly vilified for most of history and they are a low hanging fruit to go after.
Not just helpful to man but the whole ecosytem, the driving force behind his decisions were for the benefits of his farming operations but as he has pointed out the foxes (an introduced species) disappeared and small native animals started to return that he had never seen before. Just a win win all round
Same thing happened to the rivers in Yellowstone Park when wolves were reintroduced. The elk were overgrazing and destroying the riverbank plants. Wolves stopped that and allowed beavers to return & create pools and marshes.
I read that there are fish species in creeks and rivers in Yellowstone that have returned because the shade provided by the the new waterside trees keeps the water cool. I didn't know about the beavers, that's great for fish too. And more fish means more wading birds. All from wolves. I wonder if returning top-level predators to the eastern USA (cougars and wolves) would save lives. A person might get killed now and then by a predator, but given that about 200 people are killed each year from car/deer accidents, reducing the deer population would surely be worth the cost.
And controlling the coyotes numbers ... i know coyotes are endangering the rare " burrowing owl " population, the coyotes dig out the burrows and eat the baby owls ! here's a video clip from a documentary on the original wolf pack that they reintroduced back into Yellowstone Park 1995 . A coyote turns up and decides to have a free feed of the wolves Bison kill ................. well turned out it wasn't free at all . ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BXCvLzDNWz0.html
@@posteroonie I've never understood why they don't introduce predators to problem areas where the herbivores are too many. Newfoundland, in Canada, as example has an excessive amount of moose. And in a collision between a car & a moose the human is going to get a lot more hurt than with just a deer.
@@posteroonie since they removed a lot of wolves out of the northern part of new york (probably to move them to Yellowstone) the coyotes and deer are taking over. On a good note, moose have started coming back. And the turkey are getting thick. Now why the wildlife people were caught releasing rattlesnakes back into the Adirondack foothills a few years back is a mystery.
@@posteroonie , black bear has been spotted in S Ohio! Also reports of cougars. Not by officials, but do you have to be employed by the state to know what they look like?
Its been common to add a donkey in with herds of animals to protect them from predators. They are capable of adopting a new herd unlike some other herd animals, and they can be quite aggressive towards predators. And good utility if you want a pack animal.
This man is beyond the outdated mentality of his fellow men, he is a true visionary. I am grateful that there are ranchers like this in Australia and I hope many more like it will appear in the future!
Predators like dingos and wolves are sometimes called Keystone predators that are needed to keep an ecosystem in balance. Their primary benefit seems to make sure the herbivores "keep it moving" so that they don't overgraze and deplete an area of all vegetation, and secondly to keep the population in check. It's amazing how nature balances itself automatically when people don't interfere with it!
The problem with that is most of the big game hunters think all that game is solely for their use so they lie about how there's no game anymore and claim wolves are killing all the livestock and will soon be eating the babies......think of the babies. SMH!
Australia used to have wolves but they hunted them to extinction. Dingos are dogs that have gone feral. So the place of the Lost wolves is filled by dingos.
Dingos whilst not strictly native replace long extinct large predators that balance various ecosystems. It makes me so happy that not only are farmers starting to let them be but that this actually benefits them. Dingos are very well adapted to the environment and as you said, they're very good at regulating their own numbers and more opportunistic hunters and won't take on a cow when there is easier prey. Prey that we also want controlled. As someone who will buy a property out in the bush in the near future I couldn't bring myself to shoot a dingo anyway.
I reckon 5000 years is long enough to be considered native. There are groups of humans that have lived in places less years than that, but are still considered native. Is there an official length of time for the native label to apply I wonder?
Sorry in advance, this turned into a bit of a yarn. David Pollack - excellent video mate and well commentated. I’m feeling very proud of you after watching this video. I’m an Aussie (Sydney boy) but as a teenager, had the privilege to work on a 5000 acre cattle farm for a couple of summers mustering cattle etc in Coonabarabran, NSW - nothing compared to the size of your farm, but it was massive to me. I now live in Toronto, Canada and have lived in Nth America for 22yrs and work in AI and Data and Analytics. This is a fantastic example of letting the data tell the story. You didn’t make decisions based on ‘feelings’ and myth or bias, you made smart and wise decisions because you analyzed the data and you looked at what the science was telling you. Then you acted and have added value to an amazingly rich family history - one of legend I’m sure. I love it! Sounds simple but if more people just looked at the data rather than making decisions on bias and feelings, then we can evolve as a species so much faster. Apex predators have been proven time and time again to be absolutely vital to every ecosystem in which they exist. From dingoes to wolves to lions, sharks, crocs, orca…the list goes on and on. I’ve always missed Australia, your station is in some of the most inhospitable land farmed anywhere in the world and you find a way to make it work. ‘I love a sunburnt country’. I see so much negative news coming out of Oz lately, it’s good to see some forward thinking and engaging content. Thank you David and all the best in your quest to drive the legacy. I wish you rainfall sir! 💧⛈🐄🤠
We have similar issues here in the states where wolves have gone extinct. Deer species go unchecked and over graze which causes erosion, lack of new trees, and entire shifts in ecosystems. Of course Yellowstone is one of the most famous examples, but it's noticeable everywhere.
Thanks so much for posting this video up mate. I’ve been on the band wagon for letting nature do its thing for a long time. I hope this gets all the attention it deserves and educates the “old School” folk some. Onya mate
Interesting Nature/Nova program a few yrs ago about the controlling species in an ecologic system, usually but not always the apex or near apex predator but it turns out that in some areas of Africa the wildebeest is the controller and in another area the re-introduction of wild dogs was the controller. In the western US the beaver turned out to be a controlling influence by changing water ways getting rid of noxious trees and restoring stream habitats the result was year around water and green- ways where seasonal streams had been. IIRC there was also mention of the salmon runs being a controlling influence where they are present in western North America benefitting the streams, the animals/birds and the forest for kilometers around the streams.
Experience is the best teacher. Always much better to hear practical information from someone who lives the life, rather than some book smart scientist with a study or a theory.
Really interesting. As a few people have already said, it's similar to what happened when they reintroduced the wolves in USA. Also, in another life and another country this man has a distinct air of the Fred Dagg about him. RIP John Clarke.
I had the pleasure of sharing time w an American Dingo names Zeusie. He was my best friend for 9 years. I adopted him and was never able to figure out why he was given up at all. Best friend a man could ever ask for. Ever. Cancer took him from us. We love you so much bubba we miss you we love you zu
Dingoes may not go well with sheep but for cattle they are a no-brainer. They not only control goats and roos but they control foxes and cats that do so much damage to our local native wildlife. It is great to see that people working on the land are starting to see the dingo as a partner more than a pest. It will make a big difference to native marsupials, reptiles and birds.
Good farmers work to improve their lands which makes a farm more productive and more profitable. A not so good farmer does it the same way its always been done ( a very eurpean way in a land that is very different). I love how he.mwnrioned the effort and the profitability was about the same between running sheep and cattle on his property, but one simple change makes his lands better for the biodiversity . Good in ya, really love stories like this
Very good film. In areas here, southwest US, where predation pressure is high, ranchers are turning to traditional cattle like Texas Longhorns and corrientes. Polled cattle are too easily chased away from their calves and many ranchers sill running them can lose like 15% of calves to predators. Mexicans like corriente and other local longhorns and will tell you, yes they have jaguars, mountain lions, wolves, grizzlies, and so on but don't have a problem. With longhorns, it's predators who have the problem. Like old Mrs. Marks said, God made the Longhorn, man made the rest. Again, good film and very educational.
@@penninefarmer5120 there is a documentary on RU-vid about reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone. When the wolves came back the streams trees all came back. It’s a cool story.
Lines of trees across the land will also slow the flow of water, it will hold water in the soil for longer. Just plant all native fruits and nuts, like the native desert walnut. This desert walnut tree produces both nuts and sweet sap. A row of trees every 3 to 4 meters, with grasses in between. You'll could a mint selling the fruits and nuts, plus the grasses feed all the cows. This permaculture technique is well worth a try on a few acers of land to begin with.
@@LA-ic2op dingoes are a native species however, and aren't as overpopulated like feral cats nor do they remotely kill the same amount of native species as wild cats.
@@diegoquezada3193 ahhh, nope. They were introduced into Australia 3k to 5k yrs ago from asia. Go have a look throughout Asia, and you'll notice there dogs look just like our dingoes. DNA evidence studies also confirms what anyone with an open mind can see.
EXCELLENT!! I LOVE OZ and spent 6 weeks there on a lifetime travel experience in 2000. I applaud this man and his family for how they are managing their land. Now, if only we can find some Tas Tigers and reintroduce them to their homelands. You guys are the best in my book! Wish I were there! J
I think you will find that kangaroos were grazing that land long before your sheep and cattle arrived, so , in fact the sheep and cattle were taking grasses that kangaroos have had for thousands and thousands of years.
How’s good is this idea?? Brilliant I reckon!! I’m all for changing farming practices that benefit Australia as a whole. When you witness nature taking back control to improve the future of Australian outback, I’m all for it. Go the Dingo….Love your work….👍
Dude, at 3:21 the fly is extraordinary, going into your nose TWICE and you didn’t even blink. I always heard Australians were tough but that’s tops it.
"always" is a very brief word for you, it seems. For 50,000+ years, Aboriginal people managed kangaroo and other indigenous animals without degrading the land. British come - and in less than 200 years, the land is shot and overrun with pest species.
As domestic dog breeding influence modifies dingoes it will be interesting to see if the low level of calf predation is affected. Escaped pig dogs are likley to include attack breeds, many which feature in hospital reports. If they establish the goalposts might shift.
Great post! As James pointed out, we had an identical turnaround here in America. Our most famous national park had no wolves. And the grazers were decimating the landscape. But as soon as the wolves were brought to the park and released, the whole balance of nature changed. Plants and animal life flourished again, the way it used to before the white man showed up. It's like the Bible verse in the book of Joel: "The land is as the garden of Eden before them: and behind them, a desolate wilderness."
Great work mate. It's amazing how with a little bit of knowledge and no doubt, a hell of a lot of hard work you all put in out there things are starting to pay off in a positive way. It's great to see. Cheers and all the best to you all.
It's well known that making cattle move help to fertilize the soil because they, walking on the grass, put it into the soil. That's also a difference between cows and buffalos in the USA.
This is what I have been saying for over forty years I have never seen a 🐕 kill a calf you see them eating a dead calf. Now if think about that there are hole other set of questions to ask. I have heard of University studying this type relationship between 🐕 stock but yet to run across a UNI student in the bush. Anyway I liked this footage and you thinking, keep up the good work 🤩
you have to be kidding right?? you have never seen or herd of wild dogs eating calf??? come and do my job and you will see first hand what they do to calfs
You know it's easy to be depressed by Australia's generally very poor record on the environment. So it's refreshing to see some top Aussies being clear eyed & levelled headed about a predator that once most farmers would have shot on sight. Perhaps there is still hope that this beautiful country of ours may recover if more graziers get on board with this type of clever management. I get that they are a problem for sheep but controlling goats & to some extent foxes & cats is a really good step in the right direction...WELL DONE!!!
In Western Queensland sheep country, wild pigs are the big problem. When an ewe is on the ground lambing, the pigs eat the butt out of the ewe to get at the lamb. The sheep usually takes a long time to die. No one could blame dingoes. There just aren't any there.
Dam good to see you are working the land as it should worked. Seems you have hit an equally balance with nature. Mother Nature will work with you if you work with nature. Win win outcome!
Weird, you mean to say…. not disrupting the delicate ecosystem actually helps the overall habitat and environment…. Woooow, such a novel idea. It’s almost as if nature has some how magically figured that out. 😳
I also stumbled across this video purely by accident and found it quite fascinating. The co-existence of farmers/humans with natural predators is a subject that has interested me since I found out about the problems that resulted in Africa. Riverside villagers asked hunters to kill hippos that had attacked some of their people (a very reasonable and completely understandable request). The unseen consequence was the increased vegetation choking the rivers and destroying the riverside economy and contributing to increased crocodile population and attacks. Excuse my ignorance of these matters but I noted that you said that 'in a few short years' the dingoes had wiped out the entire goat population, killed off the foxes and reduce the kangaroo numbers from 15,000 to 1,500. If they can reduce prey numbers so rapidly and presumably their own numbers are flourishing, what happens when the remaining 1,500 kangaroos are consumed? do the farmers then cull the dingoes to a workable number to sustain the balance?
