Story
A family that stood an eye to eye with carnivores in a quest to balance and self-sufficiency
Location: Kolbudy – Poland,
Story by: null
Overview
Kasia and Tomek met abroad. She was a nurse and he worked in the construction industry. Fell in love and built a supposedly regular marriage. But not for long. They dreamt of being independent and self-sufficient. She was interested in natural healing. Thir both families encouraged them to take up an unorthodox approach to life and…become farmers. It took almost 8 years to refine the idea and finally find the right time and courage to buy land and cultivate it step by step piece by piece. Their first encounter with the carnivores was the death of ten unsecured sheep in the nearby farm. However instead of falling into panic they educated themselves and applied the best precautions they could find including electric fence, automatic pen, flares, different types of dogs, even a LAMA. Today their place is a full fledged farm and home for them and their children. They’ve never had any damages from carnivores, which they consider a natural and useful part of nature. Because of their planning they feel safe and have plenty of ideas how to keep it that way in the future.
Even though Kasia and Tomek had a very challenging beginning as being total newbies to the farming life and what’s even worse their first experience with carnivores was rather unpleasant they gave room to the science and reason and treated possible threats with proven solutions.
STARTING POINT
Even though Kasia and Tomek had a very challenging beginning as being total newbies to the farming life and what’s even worse their first experience with carnivores was rather unpleasant they gave room to the science and reason and treated possible threats with proven solutions.
APPROACH
Sometimes the outsiders have a fresh look at the problems that for some reasons seem unsolvable to the people who are accustomed to certain ways. As Kasia says:
The truth is that many of nearby farmers work extremely hard and sometimes they don’t have enough time or a source to acquire a proper knowledge. They fear that some solutions are expensive, however damages from inaction can be far more costly. The reality is that this is neither so complicated nor unaffordable. And there are institutions and programs that can help. In my case I received a fence form the local Regional Directorate for The Protection of the Environment. I’m also planning to apply for a guarding dog in the future.
Electric Fences
Electric fences are an important foundation for protecting herds. Through the painful contact, the predators learn to stay away from farm animals. We recommend a fence system with five taut wires, at least 90 centimeters high and with a minimum voltage of 2,000 volts. It is important to remove the grass under the fence, since otherwise the electricity is permanently discharged. Holes made by lynxes and badgers must also be removed, as otherwise the wolf uses them for digging through. Some vendors specialize in fences that are very easy to assemble and disassemble mechanically – they are particularly suitable for mobile use.
OUTLOOK
Kasia and Tomek are a fantastic examples of possible coexistence with carnivores, however most farmers need more incentives, financial support and most of all easily accessible knowledge combined with training. That will require change of attitudes which is one of the biggest barriers of all and hopfully Kasia & Tomek case will inspire people to reconsider their farm management. As Kasia says –
– there’s a myth that only little or tiny households can protect themselves. That large areas are impossible to fence. But i have a 20 hectare half of which is forest. We were able to cover this land. The regular fence is not cheaper than electric. What’s more fencing of the entire area is not the only solution. There’s a lot of creative ways to do this for example by building a smaller pens and keep the herd at times. It all just need a will and consistency.
