A necropsy of negative human-puma interaction in the high Andes: Are pumas in poor body condition more likely to attack livestock?

Abstract

Globally, it is not yet clear whether particular individuals of apex predators with specific body conditions are more likely to attack livestock. In the Andes, attacks on livestock by pumas (Puma concolor) represent a recurring problem that, consequently, leads to the persecution and lethal removal of this predator by ranchers. However, although the anthropic motivations that lead to the lethal removal of pumas are known, the body conditions of the individuals that attack livestock are still unknown. From 2015 to 2016, three pumas were killed by ranchers after attacks on livestock in the department of Cuzco, at an average elevation of 4415 m, in southeastern Peru. The necropsy of these individuals revealed that they were all deviating from normal health and body conditions (cachexia, tarsal fracture, teeth problems and unusual stomach content). Although based on only three individuals, our findings allow us to hypothesize that these individuals did not meet the necessary body conditions for hunting wild prey. This could increase their states of hunger and lead them to forage in livestock landscapes, which in turn could serve as auxiliary foraging sites with more energetically profitable prey. We consider it essential to develop further research efforts to understand what ecological conditions cause pumas to be more vulnerable to human-induced mortality. This information is essential to further understand the characteristics of the ecological niche of these large predators in current anthropic contexts and, therefore, to direct coherent conservation strategies.