Fladry is a rope mounted along the top of a

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...

, from which are suspended strips of fabric or colored flags, that will flap in a breeze. They are intended to deter

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

from crossing the line. Fladry lines have been used for this purpose for several centuries, traditionally for hunting wolves in Eastern Europe. They may be used to protect

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...

in small pastures from wolves. They are effective temporarily, as the novelty may soon wear off, usually between three and five months. Sometimes this technique is used to alert horses and cattle to the presence of a fence, as the use of smoothwire fences and one strand of electric may not be seen by an animal unfamiliar with such. The use of fladry also has been suggested among techniques to prevent wolves from being attracted to dead stock that may be in conditions that make it difficult for ranchers to remove or bury the carcasses,Levy, Max G.,
These Non-Lethal Methods Encouraged by Science Can Keep Wolves From Killing Livestock
', Smithsonian, January 11, 2021 which endangers the livestock herd once the wolves are attracted.

In culture

Russian singer and songwriter

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky ( rus, links=no, Владимир Семёнович Высоцкий, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr sʲɪˈmʲɵnəvʲɪtɕ vɨˈsotskʲɪj; 25 January 1938 – 25 July 1980), was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor ...

(1938-1980) mentions fladry in his famous song "Wolf Hunt" (russian: Охота на волков; 1968). Fladry is used here as a symbol of treacherous attitude of hunters toward the animals, but it may be understood as a metaphor of the stance of powers-that-be toward the people of free spirit. The "Wolf Hunt" was one of the most famous songs in the USSR during the 1970s.

References

Fences Wolf hunting Livestock {{agri-stub