Wolf Surge Hits Bragança Farms, Government Speeds Up Compensation

Wolf predation spikes again on the Mirandese Plateau

After several quiet years, livestock producers in the north-eastern district of Bragança are once more counting their losses. Monitoring data released by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) confirm 22 wolf attacks between 25 July and 2 October across the municipalities of Vimioso, Miranda do Douro and Mogadouro. In that ten-week period, 113 farm animals were mauled; 83 did not survive. Sheep represented the overwhelming share of the casualties.

A rare but costly threat

Although the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) remains classified as “Endangered” and its presence in the region has shrunk during the last two decades, occasional predation events continue to weigh heavily on small-scale herders. ICNF field teams recall that, around the year 2005, more than 300 compensation claims were submitted annually on the plateau. Today, the figure is a fraction of that—32 incidents have been reported in the last 20 months—but each new incident can erase a season’s profit for a family farm.

One pastoralist from Palancar lost seven head (five ewes and two lambs) in a single October night. Another, in the village of Genísio, watched ten ewes perish, while a dozen more suffered wounds so severe that survival was doubtful. Producers say they are discouraged and fear they are "working for the wolves." They complain that compensation takes too long to arrive and often falls short of current market prices.

How compensation works—and is changing

Since 1988, every verified loss attributed to wolves is eligible for state reimbursement. A veterinarian or wildlife officer must confirm bite marks and other forensic clues before ICNF authorises payment. Until now, the amount a farmer received was frequently below the going rate for replacement stock. To address that gap, the Government issued a decree on 5 November clarifying technical criteria and ordering payments to be aligned more closely with real market values. The change is one of the first concrete outputs of the ten-year Programa Alcateia 2025-2035.

The Alcateia programme at a glance

• Budget for 2025: €3.3 million• Guards and gear: subsidies for native guard-dog breeds, electric fencing and night-time shelters• Better husbandry: training in herd-management practices adapted to wolf country• Faster pay-outs: streamlined paperwork and continuous compensation schedules

Authorities hope the package will help reconcile livestock production with wolf conservation—a balancing act made harder by the thin margins of extensive grazing and the still fragile status of the predator.

Fewer packs, smaller range

Scientific surveys do not provide exact head counts, but national wolf censuses track packs and range size. The latest assessment (2019-2021) recorded a slide from 63 to 58 breeding units nationwide compared with 2002-2003. The decline is most evident in Alvão/Padrela and is also notable on the Mirandese Plateau, where only sporadic signs of reproduction have been detected in recent years. Camera traps in 2020 captured a lone adult near Morgade; earlier, in 2017, footage showed two animals together northwest of Avelanoso.

Parallel to the contraction in wolf distribution, the plateau has seen a steep fall in sheep numbers and a wider adoption of guard dogs. These factors help explain why the overall tally of attacks has plummeted since the mid-2000s. Yet the sudden cluster of incidents this summer serves as a reminder that the conflict is not solved.

Farmers demand more support

Producers’ organisations welcome the updated compensation rules but argue that prevention grants must also be expanded. They point out that electric fences require a reliable power source and regular maintenance, costs that are hard to absorb for operations with only a few dozen animals. Some groups are pressing the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment for additional aid and have not ruled out protests if losses continue.

Outlook: coexistence or collision?

Balancing the survival of the Iberian wolf with the livelihoods of rural communities remains a delicate equation. While the Programa Alcateia aims to shift the relationship from confrontation to coexistence, its success will hinge on prompt payments, accessible prevention tools and continuous dialogue with the people whose flocks share the landscape with an iconic—yet still vulnerable—predator.