Female shepherd dog at CCF gives birth to four

THE first litter of four Anatolian Shepherd dog puppies in Namibia conceived through artificial insemination was born on August 6 at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) field research station near Otjiwarongo.

The Anatolian Shepherd is a rare Turkish breed used by farmers for over 5 000 years to protect goats and sheep from predators. The puppies were born to Uschi, a five-year-old Anatolian Shepherd female inseminated with sperm imported from a breeder in the United States. CCF says they are extremely pleased with the birth of this litter as it brings new bloodlines into the country. Anatolians are regularly bred to give to Namibian farmers and the CCF has been working towards expanding their bloodlines.The insemination was done by Dr Axel Hartman in June at the Otjiwarongo Veterinary Clinic. Unfortunately one of the puppies did not survive. A previous litter of nine puppies, whose mother survived a puff adder bite while expecting, were the focus of attention on a CCF Farmers’ Puppy Day held on August 7. Farmers from throughout Namibia went to CCF to pick up the puppies that will spend their lives closely guarding livestock against predators such as the cheetah. Two of the puppies went to retired veteran politicians Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Libertina Amathila. The remaining seven went to communal farms in the Khorixas area. Prior to taking the puppies to their new homes farmers received a full day of training on how to train, look after the dogs and what to expect as they grow up.CCF began the Livestock Guarding Dog Programme in 1994. Small stock are particularly vulnerable to predation by cheetahs and other carnivores. The puppies are weaned from their mother and placed with their new herds at eight to ten weeks old, the critical age when the puppy successfully bonds with the livestock.The dogs escort the livestock into the veld. When the dogs sense the presence of a predator, they bark loudly, alerting the herder. A cheetah will usually back away from a barking dog. However, if necessary, a dog will fight with a predator that tries to attack the herd. Having a dog with a herd means that predator losses are greatly minimised and helps to reduce the amount of predator killings that occur in retaliation to the stock losses. ‘This is an exceptional and fairly effective way to prevent livestock losses,’ said CCF’s executive director Dr Laurie Marker. To date, more than 350 CCF dogs have been placed with commercial and communal farmers.The programme is open to any Namibian farmer interested in a dog. From the initial application, CCF conducts farm visits and assesses the conditions that the dog will be living under. To apply for one of CCF’s Livestock Guarding Dogs, please contact CCF at (067) 306 225 (Namibia only).

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