As Spain prohibits wolf hunting, shepherds turn to an old friend for protection: the mastiff

Spain’s shepherds are learning to live alongside the region’s burgeoning wolf population by harnessing the skills of mastiffs, dogs that were bred for millennia to protect livestock, according to The Guardian (incredible reporting and photos).

One shepherd interviewed by the Guardian lost 121 sheep to wolves in one season. When he returned the next season with mastiffs, black-masked dogs that can weigh over 200 pounds, he lost none.

The Iberian wolf has rebounded to 2,000-3,000 individuals after its population plummeted to 300-500 wolves in the 1970s. Policies were implemented to limit the seasons and weapons used for hunting wolves, which resulted in a slow rebound into the 1990s. Spain banned wolf hunting altogether in 2021.