Abstract
Simple SummaryLivestock production continues to increase throughout the world. Meanwhile, lions are becoming increasingly endangered, in part due to the severe conflict arising from cattle predation. Because cattle closely resemble the body size, shape and herding patterns of wild lion prey, it becomes imperative to understand lion preferences for specific cattle to enhance our ability to design appropriate predation mitigation measures, reduce conflict, and ultimately improve the conservation of lions. Investigating cattle predation patterns in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, we found that lions mostly killed cattle at night and targeted the easiest prey, such as cattle without horns. However, lion preferences differed according to hunting circumstances. Where cattle were confined in enclosures, lions preferred young inexperienced calves, often leading to considerable losses in a single incident. When cattle were left out grazing unprotected, lions preferentially killed cattle with mixed coat patterns and lone males. Losses to lions were driven by cattle characteristics associated with easy husbandry, resulting from domestication. Widespread cattle availability and cavalier protection efforts further fuel losses because cattle no longer possess the key features that enabled their ancestors to coexist with large predators. Cattle are now reliant upon humans to perform critical protection activities.Lion predation on cattle causes severe human–wildlife conflict that results in retaliatory persecution throughout the lion’s geographic range. Cattle closely resemble the body size, shape, and herding patterns of preferred lion prey species. We studied cattle depredation patterns in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and tested whether lions exhibited specific preferences based on cattle demographic characteristics (sex and age), as well as morphological traits (body mass, horn length, and pelage patterns). We also tested whether human disturbance of kills influenced lion energy intake and whether depredation circumstances influenced loss levels. Lions predominantly killed cattle at night (87.1%) and exhibited no preference for either sex. Overall, bulls and calves were most preferred, whereas heifers were significantly avoided, as were cattle with uniform colour patterns. Cattle with mottled pelage patterns were most preferred, especially among free-roaming herds. Preferences were context-specific, with lions preferring inexperienced calves during enclosure attacks (including multiple cases of surplus killing) and free-roaming bulls and oxen. About 13% of adult cattle had no horns, and these were preferentially targeted by lions, while cattle with short horns were killed in accordance with their availability and long horned cattle were highly avoided. The contemporary morphology of Tswana cattle that resulted from unnatural selective pressures during domestication does not offer effective antipredatory protection. Human disturbance of feeding soon after kills occurred reduced cattle carcass consumption by >40% (or about 30 kg per carcass per lion). Lions killed significantly more cattle in nonfortified enclosures than in the veldt, although this was influenced by surplus killing. Our results suggest that cattle predation by lions is driven by availability and cavalier husbandry practices, coupled with morphological features associated with facilitating easy husbandry. Cattle no longer exhibit the key features that enabled their ancestors to coexist with large predators and are now reliant upon humans to perform critical antipredator activities. Hence, the responsibility for mitigating human–wildlife conflict involving lions and cattle lies with people in either breeding traits that minimise predation or adequately protecting their cattle.
Highlights
Lions Panthera leo are specialist predators of prey weighing between 190 and 550 kg [1] and have an accessible prey weight range of 32 to 632 kg [2]
Increasing the vulnerability to predation by lions, selective breeding during the domestication of cattle probably led to the loss of traits that their ancestors used in avoiding predators, such as large body mass, large horns, aggressive nature and perhaps even camouflaged pelage colouration, as traits associated with easy husbandry were selected [14] (Figure 1)
We investigated a total of 143 cattle depredation incidents by large carnivores, recording details for 197 killed cattle from herds located across five villages and 32 remote cattle posts (Figure 2)
Summary
Lions Panthera leo are specialist predators of prey weighing between 190 and 550 kg [1] and have an accessible prey weight range of 32 to 632 kg [2]. One species they significantly prefer is Cape buffalo Syncerus caffer [1,3,4]—a large-bodied bovid occurring in social herds [5]. Given the similarity in morphology and behaviour between buffalo and domestic cattle Bos taurus (Figure 1), it is highly likely that lions will preferentially target the latter. Increasing the vulnerability to predation by lions, selective breeding during the domestication of cattle probably led to the loss of traits that their ancestors (aurochs, Bos primigenius) used in avoiding predators, such as large body mass, large horns, aggressive nature and perhaps even camouflaged pelage colouration, as traits associated with easy husbandry were selected [14] (Figure 1)
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