As explained Councilman IU in Totana Pedro Martinez "Barbary sheep, Barbary sheep or ram Barbary (Barbary Sheep) is a bovid from the native Caprinae subfamily of the rocky areas of the Sahara and the Maghreb. Species introduced in Espuña in 1970 with a purely hunting purpose. Since then it has been characterized as a typically invasive species. Indeed Barbary sheep is considered as an invasive species in Spain except where hunting Espuña and economic reasons for keeping it running. "
"The Plan of booking Espuña estimated maximum permissible population around 300. This is calculated by estimating the maximum population that can survive in shady Espuña in a dry as is this ... summer", adds the Councilman IU-Greens.
This year is characterized by low rainfall in contrast to a few years of heavy rain.
These wet years with abundant food have caused the population to skyrocket Arruis to unsustainable levels probably more than 2000 copies.
At the same time as we are experiencing dry spring causes the animals down to very remote areas of the park to feed Espuña causing significant damage to agricultural crops or the environment as the Sanctuary of the Holy.
This situation has been exacerbated by poor maintenance of safety fencing located on the outskirts of the park that should isolate the aoudad and found broken in the beds of streams and elsewhere.
So from IU request the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to develop a comprehensive management plan Espuña arruí in addressing the needs of the park and its climate.
This plan should clearly state the maximum number of heads that can hold the park according to the most extreme weather conditions and measures to take if exceeded this level.
This plan may also provide for the possibility of allowing hunting in years alrruí overcrowding in private hunting grounds outside the park also participate by hunting societies to control the species.
Besides the economic damage caused by the overpopulation of this species from IU mentioning another important alrruí to be a predator of plant species protected park and in some cases endangered environmental damage.
Apart from the health point of view we can not forget the terrible epidemic of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) that affected the aoudad in the 90s causing hundreds of deaths and reducing populations of 20 100 ha Arruis by only two.
Finally from IU in Totana indicated that the maintenance of this species carries a cost associated derivative of feeding and maintaining the safety fencing in theory is compensating for the hunting benefits although no details of this relationship provides cost / benefit .
So the mayor Pedro Martinez will propose that the ratio of the cost of maintaining this species derived from their supply and maintenance of safety fencing and hunting benefits detailing.
