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Virtual fencing (VF) offers promising future perspectives for grazing, as it simplifies fencing through the use of GPS-coordinated VF-lines. Each animal is equipped with a VF-collar, which emits an acoustic signal when the animal approaches the VF-lines. The signal stops immediately the animal turns around but if the animal continues to move towards the VF-line, an electric pulse is emitted. The use of VF is based on the animal's ability to learn to associate the acoustic signal with the electric pulse, and thus, avoid the electric pulse by reacting appropriately to the signal. The intention of this study was to identify if heifers are able to learn the VF-system during a 12-day-period and how successful learning can be evaluated using three different approaches: i) a reaction score; ii) collar-stored data; iii) the integrated mode change function. 16 Fleckvieh heifers were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups of eight. They were not familiar with VF prior to this study. On the first day of the study the heifers were equipped with VF-collars and the two groups were assigned to two adjacent pastures. The behaviour of four heifers per group was continuously observed by two observers and behaviours were scored according to an ethogram (2 h a.m., 2 h p.m.). We analysed changes over four phases as an indication of successful learning, by measuring (i) the behavioural reactions to acoustic signals and electric pulses, (ii) acoustic signals, electric pulses, success ratio and confidence ratio. The development and calculation of the confidence ratio is our way of weighing the success ratio against the proportion of acoustic signals. Further, (iii) we assessed the time it took for the device to shift from teach mode to operating mode, which is an internal function of the VF-collars. The device changes modes due to the animals' 20th correct response to acoustic signals without receiving an electric pulse. We validated this function and assessed the time until the mode changes in two successive rounds (Collar restart to start round two on day eight) and found a significant difference (p<0.0001) between rounds with a faster mode change occurring in round two. All three approaches suggested successful learning. From our results, learning can be separated in a) learning to avoid the electric pulse and b) learning to interact with the acoustic signal. Therefore, combining different approaches and measuring changes over time is necessary to ensure sustained learning. • Virtual fencing makes it easier to manage pastures and animals. • Ensuring animals successfully learn the technology is necessary. • Data were analysed from two groups of heifers in a virtual fencing training trial. • Three approaches were compared to determine successful learning. • All approaches were promising and can be applied in different use cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this narrative review is to create a comprehensive, innovative, and pragmatic resource to guide elite fencers and coaches in making strategic nutritional choices to enhance performance and facilitate recovery. The literature review identified only 12 articles specifically addressing the topic of nutrition for fencers. Thus, the recommendations provided in this review derive also from articles dealing with similar sports, such as martial arts, and from investigations with European elite fencers and their coaches. For elite fencers, it is suggested to consume daily 7-11 g/kg of body weight (BW) of carbohydrates and 1.5-2 g/kg of BW of proteins and allocate 25% to 30% of the total energy intake to essential fats, with a specific focus on omega-3 fatty acids. The timing of meals, ideally within one hour after exertion, plays a pivotal role in restoring glycogen reserves and preventing injuries. The intake of leucine, creatine, omega-3, collagen, and vitamins C and D is proposed as a strategy for injury recovery. It is worth acknowledging that even when personalized plans are provided, implementation can be challenging, especially during competitions and training camps.

The recolonization of wolves in European human-dominated landscapes poses a conservation challenge to protect this species and manage conflicts. The question of how humans can co-exist with large carnivores often triggers strong emotions. Here we provide an objective, science-based discussion on possible management approaches. Using existing knowledge on large carnivore management from Europe and other parts of the globe, we develop four potential wolf management scenarios; 1) population control, 2) protection and compensation, 3) fencing, 4) managing behaviour of wolf and man. For each scenario, we discuss its impact on wolf ecology, its prospects of reducing wolf-human conflicts and how it relates to current European legislation. Population control and fencing of local wolf populations are problematic because of their ecological impacts and conflicts with European legislation. In contrast, a no-interference approach does not have these problems but will likely increase human-wolf conflicts. Despite the large challenges in European, human-dominated landscapes, we argue that wolf management must focus on strengthening the separation between humans and wolves by influencing behaviour of wolves and humans on a fine spatio-temporal scale to prevent and reduce conflicts. As separation also demands a sufficiently large wild prey base, we urge restoring natural ungulate populations, to reduce human-wolf conflicts. Mutual avoidance provides the key to success, and is critical to avoid creating the conditions for reinstating wolf persecution as the default policy in Europe. • Wolves in European human-dominated landscapes create a new conservation challenge • Meaningful debate requires a science-based understanding of management approaches • Wolf management must be aimed at fine-scale separation between humans and wolves • Separation only seems feasible when a sufficiently large wild prey base exists • We urge restoring natural ungulate populations to reduce human-wolf conflicts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the participations and the rankings of the different European states in the 2012 Europen Championship. The diversity, which fencing brings with it in United Europe always attracts a lot of the attention of the sport public as an innovative and dynamic sport discipline. In this article the total number of contestants and the number of contestants in the different weapons for both sexes are monitored. We found that the most competitive disciplines were epee men discipline with 92 participants and epee women discipline with 75 participants, and the least competitive -- foil women discipline with 40 participants. The nation that won the biggest number of medals was Russia with total of 8 medals 4 of wich golden. The first three states ranked by the competitors in the top sixteen group for all weapons are as follows: Russia with 16%, Italy with 15% and Germany with 13%. After observing the technics most widely used by the most successful contestants in this competition we reached to the followig recommendations for Bulgarian fencers to perform better: 1. For a better ranking to be achieved it is necessary attention to be paid on improving the technics of attack, using movements of high difficulty and speed and 2. It is important to improve dramatically the quality of both the attack and the defence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife management methods such as culling (lethal control) and fencing can be controversial in some circumstances. Such controversy can be problematic for decision-makers or those managing decision-making processes and can lead to management delays or inertia. Understanding the reasons why people support or oppose specific management methods is therefore an important objective for researchers. Attitudes towards methods are in part based on individual beliefs about those methods, the species of wildlife being managed and other associated phenomena. This paper adopts a qualitative approach to develop understanding of these beliefs. We conducted 17 focus-groups on wild deer management at two locations in Britain, with both 'professional' land manager and 'public' participants ( n = 103). We identified a number of individual beliefs which are grouped into five categories: naturalness, overabundance, impacts, effectiveness and animal welfare. Our findings suggest that potentially controversial management methods will receive most support where the objective is to maintain a 'natural' environment, at sites where impacts are evident, and when using targeted and effective methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing, continually spreading, outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), following its identification in Georgia in 2007, has resulted in 17 European and 12 Asian countries reporting cases by April 2020, with cases occurring in both wild boar and domestic pigs. Curtailing further spread of ASF requires understanding of the transmission pathways of the disease. ASF is self-sustaining in the wild boar population, and they have been implicated as one of the main drivers of transmission within Europe. We developed a spatially explicit model to estimate the risk of infection with ASF in wild boar and pigs due to natural movement of wild boar that is applicable across the whole of Europe. We demonstrate the model by using it to predict the probability that early cases of ASF in Poland were caused by wild boar dispersion. The risk of infection in 2015 is computed due to wild boar cases in Poland in 2014, compared against reported cases in 2015, and then the procedure is repeated for 2015-2016. We find that long- and medium-distance spread of ASF (i.e. >30 km) is unlikely to have occurred due to wild boar dispersal, due in part to the generally short distances wild boar will travel (<20 km on average). We also predict the relative success of different control strategies in 2015, if they were implemented in 2014. Results suggest that hunting of wild boar reduces the number of new cases, but a larger region is at risk of ASF compared with no control measure. Alternatively, introducing wild boar-proof fencing reduces the size of the region at risk in 2015, but not the total number of cases. Overall, our model suggests wild boar movement is only responsible for local transmission of disease; thus, other pathways are more dominant in medium- and long-distance spread of the disease., (© 2020 Crown copyright. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases © 2020 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)