In all of Spain's wolf range, Barrientos says, wolf depredations account for only 2.5 percent of the total value of the livestock industry. In this domesticated landscape, sheep never graze unattended. They are accompanied by a shepherd and several dogs. The shepherd may well tote a rifle. Among the dogs there is often a huge mastiff, bred to fight wolves.
Mastiffs come well above the waist of a medium-sized man and have large, powerful jaws.
When a wolf goes for the jugular of a dog wearing a carlanca , the wolf gets instead a mouthful of spikes that can so rip apart its mouth that it cannot eat. Wolves are not killed here because they cause damage, says Barrientos. It's from prejudice and persecution. It's a national disgrace. They even eat garbage.