Is electric fencing an efficient and animal-friendly tool to prevent stone martens from entering buildings?

Abstract

Wildlife such as stone martens Martes foina have adapted to live in urban areas, which are spreading worldwide. Conflicts with humans can arise when martens enter buildings and cause serious damage to roof insulation. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for measures that will reduce such human–wildlife conflicts. Data we collected from a big insurance company regarding the costs of repairs of damages caused by martens revealed an estimate of 655 annual cases per Mio inhabitants and pay-outs of approximately €200,000 per year from 2002 to 2006. The data collected from pest control organisations showed an increase of damage claims from around 20 up to 150 cases per year in the last 20 years. In an experimental case study, the analysis of video recordings (26 nights) and long-term bait controls (103 nights) showed that installed electric wires and woven wire mesh prevented martens from entering a building they previously used intensively. Our results suggest that electric fencing could be a simple, short-termed measure to exclude martens from buildings before definitively sealing the openings. Electric fencing needs further quantitative and qualitative evaluation at different study sites to develop an animal-friendly, practical and cost-effective tool that prevents martens from causing damage to roof insulations.