Abstract
Simple SummaryOne of the main conservation issues, both locally and globally, is the issue of human-wildlife conflict. Losses of livestock due to predation by carnivores such as leopards has become a common problem. Residents share negative attitudes toward leopards due to conflicts over the depredation of livestock. Using data obtained from League Cat Forest Department records, and standardized, structured and semi-structured questionnaires, we found that the north China leopard was in serious conflict with the locals, causing them personal economic losses. Residents noted that the species was very dangerous to their livestock, causing them economic loss, and wanted to reduce or even eliminate it from their area.Livestock depredation by large carnivores is a conventional human–wildlife conflict, both at the local and regional level. Many species of wildlife have become endangered because of this conflict. In this study, an investigation of livestock depredation was conducted for the north China leopard in and around Tieqiaoshan Provincial Nature Reserve in Shanxi Province between 2015 and 2018. Data were obtained from League Cat Forest Department records. Additionally, standardized, structured, and semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data with the help of reserve field staff. The results show that there was a significant difference (p = 0.015) in livestock depredation in various seasons of the year; the highest depredation was recorded in spring, followed by summer. A significant difference (p = 0.02) was observed between cattle and other livestock species, showing that more cattle were killed by the north China leopard. Most of the livestock depredation occurred during late morning and evening, likely because the leopards are crepuscular. Residents in and around the reserve suffered a high economic loss, ranging between RMB 5000 and 10,000 (USD 706.76–1413.53) per year in terms of the estimated market price of the killed livestock. The attitudes of residents towards the north China leopard vary according to the economic activities of the locals, with about 76% of the livestock keepers reporting that the leopard is “very dangerous” and 8% of the arable farmers in and around the reserve indicating that leopard is “very dangerous.” We recommend that a system with local participants would ensure more effective management of human-north China leopard conflict, as it would allow local communities to take greater responsibility.
Highlights
According to [1], human–wildlife conflict is a wildlife conservation issue defined as any interactions leading to negative impacts on the humans or wildlife involved [2]
This study shows that the number of livestock species killed by north China leopards in and around the Tieqiaoshan Provincial Nature Reserve differed significantly
Based on the findings of this study, we conclude that the north China leopard mainly attacks cattle in and around Tieqiaoshan Provincial Nature Reserve, probably because cattle are kept as free ranging, making it ideal for the nocturnal leopard to prey on them
Summary
According to [1], human–wildlife conflict is a wildlife conservation issue defined as any interactions leading to negative impacts on the humans or wildlife involved [2]. Some of the factors attributed to increasing human-wildlife conflicts include land-use change, wildlife habitat fragmentation and loss, increase in the human population, climate change and variability, among many others [3,4]. These factors have changed the resources for wildlife, livestock, and humans, escalating competition for space, forage, and water. Leopards often attack livestock that are grazing in and around forest areas [10,11] They pose a risk to human lives inside human settlements [5]. Since livestock keeping forms sources of income for the local people, predation by leopards angers the local community, enhancing the appetite for retribution among the affected people [13]. The loss of sources of income intensifies the level of anger toward predators, enhancing the appetite for retribution among the affected stockbreeders [13,14]
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