Traditional plant-based remedies used to treat wolf bite injuries in Portugal and Spain: phytotherapeutic sources and cultural values for the conservation of an emblematic animal species

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus Cabrera, 1907), an endemic subspecies, is an important element of the rich natural and cultural heritage of the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). Despite the decline of this large carnivore species over the last few decades, wolves are still in the imaginary of Iberian rural communities that perceive this canidas both a diabolic creature and a mythic and benign animal. At the present time, livestock attacks attributed to the wolf are more and more frequent in the Iberian Peninsula, resulting in serious social problems. Most problems are due to economic damage caused to domestic animals in isolated rural areas. According to several researchers, some interesting strategies for Iberian wolf conservation might be related to traditional livestock practices