Cattle Depredation Research Articles

The behaviours of different carnivore and livestock species shape spatial patterns of human–carnivore conflict

Abstract Understanding the ecological and human factors that shape the loss of livestock to wild carnivores can help target conservation efforts. We used 5 years of livestock depredation records (2009–2013, n = 1147) alongside Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, to investigate how spatial patterns vary by carnivore and livestock species. Dominant patterns across all species and seasons included an increased likelihood of depredation closer to protected areas (core carnivore habitat) and in more open areas closer to human settlements (where livestock are most abundant). Lions were less likely than spotted hyenas to attack livestock further from protected areas, while goat and donkey depredation was more concentrated around homesteads compared to cattle depredation. Leopards were more likely than other predators to attack livestock in areas of higher human density and nearer water sources, likely reflecting their preference for goats and sheep which generally remain near homesteads unless taken to watering holes. Carnivores make trade‐offs between attacking livestock where it is most available (near human settlements) and where the risk of detection and retaliation by humans is lower (nearer protected areas, in more wooded habitats, and further from human activity). These results have helped target local mitigation strategies. They may also inform human–wildlife conflict mitigation at other sites globally by highlighting the need to understand species‐specific differences in conflict patterns and tailor solutions accordingly. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Examining human-wildlife conflict and management strategies in Indian protected areas: evidence from Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve

ABSTRACT The study examines the trends and patterns of human-wildlife conflict and explores stakeholders’ perceptions toward management strategies in the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, India. The study used a mixed “methods” research approach. Human-wildlife conflict quantitative data was analyzed using a trend line approach. Grounded Theory and thematic analysis were used to analyze local households (n = 150), park employees (n = 20), and eco-development committees (n = 10) interviews content. The results revealed a significant decline in human casualties, cattle depredation, and crop damage, possibly attributed to strategies like awareness programs, electric fencing, and alternative livelihoods. The study found no significant evidence of retaliatory wildlife killing by locals. Although human-wildlife conflict has declined significantly due to existing management strategies, the thematic analysis highlights serious challenges, including inadequate funding, insufficient compensation, and limited local participation in alternative livelihoods. These challenges need to be addressed urgently for the sustainable management of conflict.

Spatial risk modeling of cattle depredation by black vultures in the midwestern United States

AbstractNegative economic impacts resulting from wildlife disrupting livestock operations through depredation of stock are a cause of human‐wildlife conflict. Management of such conflict requires identifying environmental and non‐environmental factors specific to a wildlife species' biology and ecology that influence the potential for livestock depredation to occur. Identification of such factors can improve understanding of the conditions placing livestock at risk. Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) have expanded their historical range northward into the midwestern United States. Concomitantly, an increase in concern among agricultural producers regarding potential black vulture attacks on livestock has occurred. We estimated area with greater or lesser potential for depredation of domestic cattle by black vultures across a 6‐state region in the midwestern United States using an ensemble of small models (ESM). Specifically, we identified landscape‐scale spatial factors, at a zip code resolution, associated with reported black vulture depredation on cattle in midwestern landscapes to predict future potential livestock depredation. We hypothesized that livestock depredation would be greatest in areas with intensive beef cattle production close to preferred black vulture habitat (e.g., areas with fewer old fields and early successional vegetation paired with more direct edge between older forest and agricultural lands). We predicted that the density of cattle within the county, habitat structure, and proximity to anthropogenic landscape features would be the strongest predictors of black vulture livestock‐depredation risk. Our ESM estimated the relative risk of black vulture‐cattle depredation to be between 0.154–0.631 across our entire study area. Consistent with our hypothesis, areas of greatest predicted risk of depredation correspond with locations that are favorable to vulture life‐history requirements and increased potential to encounter livestock. Our results allow wildlife managers the ability to predict where black vulture depredation of cattle is more likely to occur in the future. It is in these areas where extension and outreach efforts aimed at mitigating this conflict should be focused. Researchers and wildlife managers interested in developing or employing tools aimed at mitigating livestock‐vulture conflicts can also leverage our results to select areas where depredation is most likely to occur.

Lion (Panthera leo) diet and cattle depredation on the Kuku Group Ranch Pastoralist area in southern Maasailand, Kenya

Context African lion (Panthera leo) populations are declining throughout Africa, but the problem is particularly acute in southern Kenya, where human–lion conflict is common. Aims Using the Kuku Group Ranch (KGR) in southern Kenya as a case study, we investigated lion diet and the potential drivers of temporal variation in cattle depredation. Methods Using GPS clusters, we investigated the main prey species consumed by lions to determine lion diet. Prey preference of lions in relation to prey availability was then assessed using a Jacobs index to determine whether cattle or wild prey were preferred. We used reported depredation events recorded by verification officers over 36 months (2016–2018) to investigate whether temporal variation in cattle depredation by lions was linked to variation in lag rainfall, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) or availability of the most important large non-domestic prey items. Key results Six prey species (cattle, Bos taurus; Burchell’s zebra, Equus quagga; Coke’s hartebeest, Alcelaphus cokeii; Maasai giraffe, Giraffa tippelskirchi; blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus; and eland, Tragelaphus oryx) made up 92% of the biomass consumed by lions on KGR. Cattle are the most consumed prey item and contribute the second most to consumed biomass after giraffe. However, once prey availability is considered, lions preferred wild prey. Verification officers identified 330 cattle depredation events over 3 years, and we show that the most important predictor of monthly cattle depredation by lions was cumulative rainfall in the preceding 3 months. Conclusions Our results on cattle depredation by lions showed that rainfall and its influence on the environment are important drivers of cattle depredation. Understanding the mechanistic link between lion depredation and rainfall enables us to predict when depredation events may increase and allows hypotheses on the reason why this spike in depredation takes place to be explored. Implications Given that climate-change models indicate that East Africa will experience prolonged and increased seasonal rainfall, we predict that periods when cattle are vulnerable to lion depredation may increase. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that cattle husbandry is improved during these wetter periods to minimise the risk of conflict and retaliatory killing of lions.

Spatiotemporal patterns of cattle depredation by the North Chinese leopard in Taihang Mountains and its management strategy: A case study in Heshun, Shanxi Province

Spatiotemporal patterns of cattle depredation by the North Chinese leopard in Taihang Mountains and its management strategy: A case study in Heshun, Shanxi Province

Robust mapping of human–wildlife conflict: controlling for livestock distribution in carnivore depredation models

AbstractShifting human–wildlife conflict towards coexistence requires a robust understanding of where conflict happens and why. Spatial models of livestock depredation by wild predators commonly identify depredation hotspots in areas where livestock are most abundant (e.g. nearer villages or pasture). This may reflect underlying livestock distribution, rather than imply these areas are inherently risky for livestock. This limits the predictive power of these models and their usefulness for conflict mitigation and wild carnivore conservation. Here, we build spatial models of both cattle depredation (530 attacks mostly by lions and hyenas; 2009‐2013), and cattle presence (14 GPS‐collared herds; 2010‐2012) near Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. We use Bayes’ theorem to combine the cattle depredation and presence models to quantify risk as the conditional probability of depredation given livestock presence. Our raw depredation models predicted higher depredation rates where cattle presence was more likely (near villages and in more open habitats). By contrast, our risk model predicted higher risk further from human activity and in more dense vegetation (where depredation rates were higher than expected given the low probability of cattle presence). Risk has also increased sharply towards protected areas (core carnivore habitat). Our formulation of risk captures high‐risk areas as those where livestock are most accessible (i.e. vulnerable) to predators as opposed to simply where they are most available (as in much previous work). We make recommendations for livestock protection and wild carnivore conservation based on our quantification of risk, such as where to avoid herding livestock and which areas to prioritize for livestock protection. Our approach may be profitably applied to guide safer livestock grazing or herding in other contexts where depredation and livestock movement data are available. We hope that the concepts and methods that we develop here will help advance the future study and mitigation of human–wildlife conflict more generally.

Lions Panthera leo Prefer Killing Certain Cattle Bos taurus Types.

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.

Seasonal selection of key resources by cattle in a mixed savannah-wetland ecosystem increases the potential for conflict with lions

In Africa's pastoral conservation landscapes, apex predators frequently kill livestock. Retaliatory persecution such as poisoning threatens predators, but also non-target biota. Several factors influence conflict severity, including livestock husbandry, overlap in seasonal habitat use, and the degree to which livestock perceive and are able to respond to a landscape of fear. We investigated these factors by GPS-tracking 42 Tswana beef cattle (Bos taurus) from 29 herds in 2017 and six lions (Panthera leo) from different prides (May 2016–Dec. 2017) in the northern Okavango Delta, Botswana, where cattle depredation significantly impacts the livelihoods of rural agro-pastoralists. Cattle exhibited seasonal habitat selection patterns similar to wild ungulates in the region. They preferred woodland habitats, with more digestible grasses, during the wet season. During the dry season, they preferred wetland habitats with reliable forage and water availability. Cattle also preferred areas close to human settlements, but the necessity to forage in wetlands during the dry season exposed them to significant depredation risk, especially >4 km from settlements. Lions killed most cattle in wetlands during the late dry season but the intensity of recent lion presence (previous 14 days) only had a weak negative effect on cattle habitat selection patterns. Cattle used rangelands according to nutritional requirements, irrelevant of the associated predation risk, suggesting that socio-ecologically acceptable conflict solutions cannot rely on the exclusion of livestock from seasonal wetlands. Curbing depredation by lions will best be achieved by a combination of resource- and predation-cognisant seasonal herding strategies with adequate livestock protection. Understanding the ecological constraints that intensify conflict is pertinent to any livestock production landscape with predator presence. It is also a central prerequisite for future land use planning and devolution of legal, controlled resource access rights through policy. Coexistence strategies must account for the strong reliance of people, their livestock, and wildlife on shared key resources. This is particularly important in large trans-frontier conservation areas where the successful merging of biodiversity conservation and rural development is a strategic goal. Omission will foster resentment and resistance to coexistence with apex predators, particularly if livestock productivity and human livelihoods are negatively affected.

Assessing the relationship between illegal hunting of ungulates, wild prey occurrence and livestock depredation rate by large carnivores

Abstract Illegal hunting of ungulates can reduce the prey base of carnivores, which can increase human–carnivore conflict (HCC) through livestock depredation. However, the relationship between ungulate poaching, wild prey abundance and livestock depredation has rarely been empirically studied. We surveyed 18 sites across the Hyrcanian forest in northern Iran; a global biodiversity hotspot under pressure from illegal hunting of ungulates, prey depletion, livestock grazing and HCC. We conducted three field surveys across 1,204 km in 93 4 × 4 km cells to count signs of ungulate poaching as well as encounters with livestock and prey species of the Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor and the grey wolf Canis lupus. We documented sheep/goat and cattle depredation from interviews with 201 herders and analysed the effects of illegal hunting of ungulates, forest cover, IUCN categories of reserves, elevation, distance to villages, and wild prey and livestock encounter rates on carnivore depredation rates using generalized linear models. Illegal hunting of ungulates was the most influential depredation predictor. An increase in the illegal hunting of ungulates by one sign/km significantly increased depredation by up to four times. We also found significantly lower levels of ungulate poaching in national parks (IUCN category II) compared to protected areas (V), wildlife refuges (IV) and no‐hunting areas, though poaching signs were frequently found in most cells (58%). Encounters with livestock was inversely linked to wild prey species, but positively coupled with signs of ungulate poaching. Synthesis and applications. Our study reveals that: (a) an increase in the intensity of illegal hunting of ungulates can intensify livestock depredation by carnivores; (b) future efforts in reducing human‐carnivore conflict to acceptable levels require a combination of law enforcement, prey recovery approaches and mitigation measures; (c) it is essential to understand the root causes of poaching to help minimize human‐carnivore conflict (HCC).

Cattle depredation risk by gray wolves on grazing allotments in Washington

Livestock depredation was a primary factor in wolf extirpation from most of the conterminous United States by the 1930s. Through reintroductions and natural dispersals, gray wolves (Canis lupus) have recolonized portions of their former range. Livestock grazing occurs on federal lands in the western United States, including 31% of wolf-occupied areas in Idaho, Montana, and Washington. We investigated characteristics of cattle (Bos taurus) grazing allotments (n = 70) in Idaho (2004–2008), Montana (1991–2008), and Washington (2008–2016) to predict cattle depredation risk on grazing allotments in current and probable wolf-occupied areas of Washington (n = 162). Depredation probability and the predicted number of cattle depredated increased for allotments with higher cattle and wolf abundance. Top models accurately predicted 38% (n = 8) of allotments with verified cattle depredations as ≥61% depredation probability. Assuming pack sizes of five or ten wolves, 10% (n = 16) and 15% (n = 24) of cattle grazing allotments in Washington were forecasted at ≥61% depredation probability, respectively. This preliminary study identified areas in which wildlife and rangeland management agencies can focus proactive depredation prevention measures. However, additional fine-scale data (e.g., GPS locations of depredation locations and wolf core areas, animal husbandry practices, actual number of cattle by age class) are needed to improve model performance and further evaluate cattle depredation risk by wolves on grazing allotments in Washington.

Predicting spatial factors associated with cattle depredations by the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) with recommendations for depredation risk modeling

AimPredation on livestock is one of the primary concerns for Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) recovery because it causes economic losses and negative attitudes toward wolves. Our objectives were to develop a spatial risk model of cattle depredation by Mexican wolves in the USA portion of their recovery area to help reduce the potential for future depredations. LocationArizona and New Mexico, USA. MethodsWe used a presence-only maximum entropy modeling approach (Maxent) to develop a risk model based on confirmed depredation incidents on public lands. In addition to landscape and human variables, we developed a model for annual livestock density using linear regression analysis of Animal Unit Month (AUM), and models for abundance of elk (Cervus canadensis), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiana) using Maxent, to include them as biotic variables in the risk model. We followed current recommendations for controlling model complexity and other sources of bias. ResultsThe primary factors associated with increased risk of depredation by Mexican wolf were higher canopy cover variation and higher relative abundance of elk. Additional factors with increased risk but smaller effect were gentle and open terrain, and greater distances from roads and developed areas. Main conclusionsThe risk map revealed areas with relatively high potential for cattle depredations that can inform future expansion of Mexican wolf distribution (e.g., by avoiding hotspots) and prioritize areas for depredation risk mitigation including the implementation of active non-lethal methods in depredation hotspots. We suggest that livestock be better protected in or moved from potential hotspots, especially during periods when they are vulnerable to depredation (e.g. calving season). Our approach to create natural prey and livestock abundance variables can facilitate the process of spatial risk modeling when limitations in availability of abundance data are a challenge, especially in large-scale studies.

Forecasting cattle depredation risk by recolonizing gray wolves

Minimizing wolf‐livestock conflicts requires identifying conditions placing livestock at risk and focusing adaptive management at a local scale. Gray wolves Canis lupus began recolonizing Washington in 2008. We used generalized linear mixed models to investigate characteristics of wolf pack territories in Idaho and Montana from 1991–2008 (n = 137) and predict cattle Bos taurus depredation risk for current and probable wolf‐occupied areas in Washington. Cattle depredation risk increased with cattle abundance and if the pack depredated cattle the previous year. When models were applied to wolf pack territories in Washington from 2008–2016 (n = 43), 3 of 7 (43%) depredating pack territory/years were predicted at ≥61% depredation risk. During the summer grazing season (1 May – 31 October) when most cattle depredations (97%; n = 34) occurred in Washington, cattle east of the Cascade Mountains were often on grazing allotments whereas cattle west of the Cascade Mountains were located on small, private farms. Thus, relative cattle abundance per grazing allotment and county likely represented cattle depredation risk east and west of the Cascade Mountains, respectively. County‐wide and allotment cattle abundance forecasted 10.3% and 1.4% of probable wolf‐occupied areas at ≥ 61% cattle depredation risk, respectively. These risk models and maps provide locations for federal and state wildlife managers to focus depredation prevention measures and a template for future analyses as wolves continue to recolonize Washington.

Modeling the relationship between wolf control and cattle depredation.

Wolf control to reduce cattle depredation is an important issue to ecology and agriculture in the United States. Two recent papers use the same dataset having wolf population characteristics and cattle depredation, but come to opposing conclusions concerning the link between wolf control and cattle depredation. Our paper aims to resolve this issue by using the same dataset and developing a model based on a causal association that would explain the nature of the relationship between wolf control and cattle depredation. We use the data on wolf population, number of cattle, number of wolves killed and number of cattle killed, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Interagency Annual Wolf Reports over the period of 1987–2012. We find a positive link between wolf control and cattle depredation. However, it would be incorrect to infer that wolf control has a positive effect on the number of cattle depredated. We maintain that this link comes from a growing wolf population, which increases cattle depredation, and in turn, causes an increase in the number of wolves killed. While the wolf population is growing, we see both wolf removal and cattle depredation simultaneously grow. It is not until the wolf population growth nears the steady state, that removal of wolves has a sufficient negative effect to reduce or stabilize the number of cattle depredated.

The numbers of the beast: Valuation of jaguar (Panthera onca) tourism and cattle depredation in the Brazilian Pantanal

Large carnivores fascinate people because of their beauty and potential as human predators and have therefore become focal species for the ecotourism industry. Wildlife tourism has grown exponentially and has often been used as a financial argument for species conservation. However, carnivores depredate livestock, leading to a direct economic conflict with rural livelihoods, often resulting in lethal retaliation action. Here we show that jaguar ecotourism represents a gross annual income of US$6,827,392 in land-use revenue across a representative portion the Brazilian Pantanal, the world's largest wetland. Considering the aggregate costs of jaguar depredation on livestock within the same area, we estimate that the resident jaguar population would induce a hypothetical damage of only US$121,500 per year in bovine cattle losses. This large discrepancy between economic gains and losses reinforces the importance of wildlife tourism as a conservation tool in boosting tolerance of jaguars in private ranches. We also evaluate the partnership between ecotourism and cattle ranchers, in which cattle losses induced by jaguars could be compensated by a system of voluntary donations from tourists, ensuring that both traditional livestock husbandry and ecotourism can co-exist within the same ranches, thereby promoting landscape-scale jaguar conservation.

Native prey distribution and migration mediates wolf (Canis lupus) predation on domestic livestock in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Little research has evaluated how the migration and distribution of native prey influence patterns of livestock depredation by large carnivores. Previous research suggests that the presence of native prey can increase depredation rates by attracting predators (prey tracking hypothesis). Alternatively, the absence of native prey may facilitate predation on livestock (prey scarcity hypothesis). In this study, we evaluated support for these competing hypotheses through analysis of 4 years of cattle (Bos taurus L., 1758) depredation data (n = 39 kills), 2 years of summer and fall wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) predation and tracking data (n = 4 wolves), and 3 years of elk (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) movement data (n = 70 elk). We used logistic regression to compare the relative influence of landscape features and elk distribution on the risk of livestock depredation in areas with migratory and resident elk. Cattle depredations occurred in habitats with increased encounter rates between wolves and livestock. In resident elk areas, depredation sites were associated with elk distribution and open roads. In migratory elk areas, depredation sites were associated with wolf dens, streams, and open habitat. Patterns of carnivore–livestock conflicts are complex, and using ungulate distribution data can predict and minimize such instances.

Landscapes attributes and their consequences on jaguar Panthera onca and cattle depredation occurrence

Human activities affect large carnivores worldwide by increasing mortality due to destruction and fragmentation of habitats, decrease of prey availability, and hunting pressure. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large carnivore strongly influenced by these threats, with poaching of predators being primarily a retaliatory response that is motivated by depredation of domestic animals. We investigate the distribution of jaguars and cattle depredation in 21 sampling units located in Central Brazil. We consider native and domestic prey availability as well as landscape configuration and composition as possible contributory factors. We removed correlated variables and conducted a set of logistic regressions in a step-wise approach. We used the difference between χ2 of the newest and the previous model to evaluate if the addition of a variable increased the explanatory power of the newest model. Jaguar occurrence was influenced by prey richness, which is correlated with habitat aggregation in the landscape, revealing the attributes that can act as proxies for environmental quality for jaguar. The relationship between jaguar and prey richness also suggests that jaguar can act as a surrogate for the presence of other species. Jaguar occurrence is also related to the availability of non-native prey such as cattle, but not cattle depredation, suggesting that cattle depredation could be an opportunistic event. Patterns of cattle depredation warrant further study because human-wildlife conflict is one of the greatest threats to jaguar conservation.

Crying Wolf? A Spatial Analysis of Wolf Location and Depredations on Calf Weight

AbstractCombining a novel panel dataset of 18 Montana ranches with spatial data on known wolf pack locations and satellite‐generated climatological data from 1995‐2010, we estimate the spatial impact of changing wolf pack locations and confirmed wolf depredations on the weight of beef calves. We find no evidence that wolf packs with home ranges that overlap ranches have any detrimental effects on calf weights. Other non‐wolf factors, notably climate and individual ranch‐specific husbandry practices, explained the majority of the variation in the weight of calves. However, ranches that experienced a confirmed cattle depredation by wolves had a negative and statistically significant impact of approximately 22 pounds on the average calf weight across their herd, possibly due to inefficient foraging behavior or stress to mother cows. For ranches experiencing confirmed depredation, the costs of these indirect weight losses are shown to potentially be greater than the costs of direct depredation losses that have, in the past, been the only form of compensation for ranchers who have suffered wolf depredations. These results demonstrate a potentially important and understudied aspect of economic conflict arising from the protection and funding of endangered species recovery programs.

Livestock depredation and mitigation methods practised by resident and nomadic pastoralists around Waza National Park, Cameroon

AbstractConflict between humans and lions Panthera leo is a key factor driving population declines of lions in Africa, especially in communal lands and on the edges of small protected areas. We assessed this conflict in Waza National Park, Cameroon, in 2008 through an interview survey. A total of 207 resident and 174 nomadic pastoralists were interviewed. Results indicated high levels of livestock depredation around the Park, with attacks occurring most often at night. Lions were economically a substantial threat accounting for total losses of EUR 100,000 per annum. Per household, resident pastoralists lost one cow and nomadic pastoralists two cows per annum, equating to c. EUR 260 and 520, respectively. To mitigate these losses resident pastoralists used enclosures for nocturnal protection of their livestock more than nomadic pastoralists, who tended to herd livestock more during pasture. Improved mitigation methods pertaining to herding practice, the use of enclosures and the presence of dogs resulted in a reduction of 25% livestock depredation and 50% cattle depredation. These methods could be further improved, however, education and awareness about the ranging behaviour of lions during different seasons and periods of the day is important for all pastoralists. Additionally, park management needs to be improved through effective law enforcement.

Ritual vs. retaliatory killing of African lions in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tanzania, is a multiple land-use area where Maasai pastoralists co-exist with large migratory herbivores and associated carnivores. Maasai retal- iate against lions, leopards and hyenas that prey upon their livestock. Cattle depredation is mostly by lions and most common in grazing herds tended solely by children (rather than by warriors) and in large herds tended by few herders. Depredation on sheep and goats (shoats) is mostly by leopards and is more difficult to prevent. Across all carnivore species, nocturnal depredation is somewhat more common in smaller households. Over most of the NCA, lion killing is proportional to the amount of cattle depredation by resident lions, but nomadic lions from the Serengeti National Park appear to be killed more exclusively for cultural purposes (Ala-mayo) in the open plains. While the impact of ritual hunting on the Serengeti lion population as a whole appears to be trivial, retaliatory killing on resident lions in the NCA may intensify as the human population continues to increase.

Ritual vs. retaliatory killing of African lions in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 6:67-74 (2008) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00120 Ritual vs. retaliatory killing of African lions in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania Dennis Ikanda1, Craig Packer2,* 1Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Box 661, Arusha, Tanzania 2Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA *Corresponding author. Email: packer@umn.edu ABSTRACT: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tanzania, is a multiple land-use area where Maasai pastoralists co-exist with large migratory herbivores and associated carnivores. Maasai retaliate against lions, leopards and hyenas that prey upon their livestock. Cattle depredation is mostly by lions and most common in grazing herds tended solely by children (rather than by warriors) and in large herds tended by few herders. Depredation on sheep and goats (shoats) is mostly by leopards and is more difficult to prevent. Across all carnivore species, nocturnal depredation is somewhat more common in smaller households. Over most of the NCA, lion killing is proportional to the amount of cattle depredation by resident lions, but nomadic lions from the Serengeti National Park appear to be killed more exclusively for cultural purposes (Ala-mayo) in the open plains. While the impact of ritual hunting on the Serengeti lion population as a whole appears to be trivial, retaliatory killing on resident lions in the NCA may intensify as the human population continues to increase. KEY WORDS: Carnivores · Livestock husbandry · Livestock depredation · Ala-mayo · Tanzania Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Ikanda D, Packer C (2008) Ritual vs. retaliatory killing of African lions in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. Endang Species Res 6:67-74. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00120 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 6, No. 1. Online publication date: October 14, 2008 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2008 Inter-Research.