Livestock Killing Research Articles

An integrated model for anthrax-free zone development in developing countries

Anthrax is more prevalent in impoverished nations and those without veterinarian public health initiatives. A comprehensive strategy was pursued to build an anthrax-free model in which there would be no anthrax. The strategy included routine vaccination, increased public awareness, rapid confirmation, and prompt disposal, as well as the establishment of an effective surveillance system, the development of an emergency prevention system, the enforcement of regulations, and the improvement of collaboration between human health and veterinary services. From 2017 through 2020, several initiatives including both social and laboratory activities were performed. After strictly applying the study's procedures, it was determined that the vast majority of community people (97.5%) were knowledgeable of the disease's nature, prevalence, significance to public health, and treatment in the study area. The farmers' risky practices and attitudes about the killing of sick livestock decreased dramatically (85%). The vaccination rate climbed from 40% to 85%, and the proportion of farmers who can presumptively identify anthrax based on its prominent clinical symptoms rose from 30% to 85%. A confirmation methodology based on PCR was implemented. A geographical map depicting the green and dangerous pastureland was created. The formation of a steering group to assess the progress of scientific activity. Locals established a slaughterhouse in that location, where individuals slaughtered their animals following veterinary examination and strictly followed drug withdrawal period. The contaminated area has been free of anthrax infection for four years as a consequence of these efforts. There also reduction of antibiotic used due to mass awareness. The study indicated that the model is an efficient, effective, and appropriate technique for establishing an anthrax-free zone where no anthrax outbreaks would occur. It could be replicated in any part of the world where socioeconomic and geographical conditions are similar.

Safeguarding snow leopards in Badakhshan, Afghanistan

Snow leopard Panthera uncia predation on livestock is common across the species’ range, which poses potential threat to human livelihood and also risk the predator’s own survival. Here we report snow leopard intrusion into livestock corrals and making surplus killing of livestock in two districts of Badakhshan, one of which being the first documented record of the species in those areas. In all but one of the incidents, the predator had been trapped within the corral but due to the safeguarding of the new administration and with the support of WCS-Afghanistan the snow leopards were returned safely to the wild. Local communities have also had very supportive role in releasing the illusive mountain predator despite being responsible for the loss of over 40 livestock.

Cunning Distortions: Folk Christianity and Witchcraft Allegations in Early Mormon History

Cunning Distortions: Folk Christianity and Witchcraft Allegations in Early Mormon History

Myths, Wishful Thinking, and Accountability in Predator Conservation and Management in the United States

Large predators are thought of as ecological keystone species, posterchildren of conservation campaigns, and sought-after targets of tourists and photographers. At the same time, predators kill livestock and huntable animals, and occasionally people, triggering fears and antipathy among those living alongside them. Until the 1960’s government-sponsored eradication and persecution campaigns in the United States prioritized interests of livestock producers and recreational hunters, leading to eradication of wolves and bears over much of their range. Without large predators, subsidized by changes in agricultural practices and milder winters, ungulate populations erupted, triggering negative ecological impacts, economic damage, and human health crises (such as tick-borne diseases). Shifting societal preferences have ushered in more predator-friendly, but controversial wildlife policies, from passively allowing range expansion to purposeful reintroductions (such as release of wolves in Yellowstone National Park). Attempts to restore wolves or mountain lions in the U.S. and protecting coyotes appear to enjoy strong public support, but many state wildlife agencies charged with managing wildlife, and recreational hunters continue to oppose such efforts, because they perceive predators as competitors for huntable animals. There may be compelling reasons for restoring predators or allowing them to recolonize their former ranges. But if range expansion or intentional releases of large predators do not result in ecosystem recovery, reduced deer populations, or Lyme disease reductions, conservationists who have put their reputation on the line and assured decision makers and the public of the important functional role of large predators may lose public standing and trust. Exaggerated predictions by ranchers and recreational hunters of greatly reduced ungulate populations and rampant livestock killing by large carnivores may lead to poaching and illegal killing threatening recovery of predator populations. How the return of large carnivores may affect vegetation and successional change, ungulate population size, other biota, livestock and human attitudes in different landscapes has not been appropriately assessed. Societal support and acceptance of living alongside predators as they expand their range and increase in abundance requires development and monitoring of social, ecological and economic indicators to assess how return of large predators affects human and animal and plant livelihoods.

Can dingoes increase graziers’ profits and help maintain Australia’s rangelands?

Australia’s largest land carnivore, the dingo, has been targeted by control programs in many agricultural landscapes since European settlement because of the judgement that dingoes cause costs to producers through the killing of livestock. As Australian pastoralists, we challenge the assumption that dingoes will only cause costs to producers. Based on our personal experiences and from research, we provide an alternative view, namely that in certain circumstances, there are major economic and ecological benefits of maintaining dingoes in grazing landscapes by controlling the unmanaged grazing pressure. As cattle producers, we have obtained significant financial gains for our family businesses, and environmental benefits on our properties by maintaining dingoes. Dingoes greatly reduce high-density populations of larger kangaroo species and some feral animals, especially goats. Such unmanaged grazing is persistently identified as a major factor in landscape degradation across large areas of Australian rangelands. The Australian pastoral industry as a whole, and the government departments that support it, need to evaluate, consider and discuss the economic and ecological benefits as well as the costs of maintaining dingoes in Australian pastoral landscapes.

The taste of compassion: Influencing meat attitudes with interhuman and interspecies moral appeals

Consumers of meat products are generally shielded from the moral dissonance associated with the killing of livestock. Nonetheless, consumers increasingly look for ways to reduce or avoid meat in their diets due to concerns about individual health and the harmful global impacts of meat production. Campaigns that promote plant-based diets seek to facilitate such efforts by appealing to consumers' compassion, but the effects of such moral appeals on immediate food choice have not been studied. The literature on the psychology of meat consumption, its gendered associations in western cultural contexts are reviewed, and a compassion appraisal model for ethical food choice is tested. In a longitudinal restaurant field study and three laboratory experiments, the effects of interhuman as well as interspecies compassion appeals on meat-containing vs. meatless food choices are investigated. Compassion mediates ethical food choices, but is moderated by denial of the harmful consequences of meat production. Threats to masculinity that are often associated with meat advertising increase men's likelihood to choose meat instead of a vegetarian option. Overall, results indicate that men are less amenable to reduce their meat consumption and that they evaluate vegetarian options as less palatable when exposed to compassion appeals. These effects were opposite for women. Implications for meatless food products and for consumer well-being are discussed.

Human-Wildlife Conflict in a ‘successful’ Community Conservation Programme: Economic and territorial impacts on Namibia's conservancies

Since the 1990s Namibia's Conservancies have been depicted as one of the most successful examples of Community Conservation. The growth in game numbers caused by the conservation programme, however, has led to an increase in Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) incidents. These include damages to crops and to infrastructure, the killing of livestock, attacks on humans, and higher levels of psychological stress among affected populations. Local voices often express the feeling that neither compensation payments nor conservation-related benefits outweigh HWC costs. Furthermore, HWC has territorial impacts: it is leading to more restricted access to some areas of land and it reinforces government and NGO discourses in favour of conservation rather than agropastoral land uses. Through the analysis of some specific case-studies we will try to understand these processes, to provide a nuanced view of events on the ground and to explore the potentialities and difficulties of combining wildlife and agropastoral activities on the same lands. It will be shown how, even in reasonably successful conservation schemes, it is difficult to provide rural residents with benefits that would offset HWC costs, and how, most importantly, contrary to the initial Community Conservation ideas of coexistence of human and wildlife populations in open areas, HWC and the measures advocated to prevent it are pushing for stricter boundaries and growing enclosure of separate areas for humans and fauna.

Dysa , Kateryna Ukrainian Witchcraft Trials: Volhynia, Podolia, and Ruthenia, 17th–18th Centuries (review)

SEER, 99, 3, JULY 2021 568 Dysa, Kateryna. Ukrainian Witchcraft Trials: Volhynia, Podolia, and Ruthenia, 17th–18th Centuries. Central European University Press, Budapest and New York, 2020. x + 254 pp. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $75.00: €65.00: £60.00. Some areas of the Slav world get little attention in English-language witchcraft studies, although publications in Slav languages have increased in quantity and quality since the end of the Communist regimes. We are fortunate then that two new books were published in 2020 which are valuable additions to the existing literature, at least for Russia and Ukraine, and especially for those who have no competence in Slavic languages. The first was the very useful Witchcraft in Russia and Ukraine, 1000–1900: A Sourcebook by Valerie Kivelson and Christine Worobec (Ithaca, NY, 2020). This has now been followed by Kateryna Dysa’s thoughtful and detailed but more narrowly focused book, which we review here, dealing with witchcraft trials in the western part of Ukraine in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Kivelson and Worobec’s book presents annotated translations of documents relating to witchcraft legislation, accusations and trials, mostly in Russia ‎ but also containing some Ukrainian material. Kateryna Dysa’s book is more specialized and deals with witchcraft beliefs and trials in Volhynia, Podolia and Ruthenia, three palatinates of the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional (largely Catholic but also Uniate, Orthodox, Protestant of several kinds, Jewish, Karaite and Muslim) Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with some material from the (mostly Orthodox) Cossack Hetmanate, in the latter part of the Commonwealth and the early period of its incorporation into the Russian empire. It is based on records, mostly of town courts, of 198 cases, mostly recorded in Polish or Latin. Dysa is concerned less with publishing the texts of trial proceedings (the Ukrainian sources are anyway ‘laconic’ she notes) than with examining the underlying beliefs, social contexts, and legal concepts and procedures in witchcraft cases in her chosen area, which she does well, with plenty of comparative references to Russian and West European literature, and occasional observations when she thinks that Ukrainian evidence may cast doubt on received wisdom about witchcraft and witch trials. The book is strictly about the period and region stated in the title, and only about cases which reached town courts — it does not discuss the punishment of witches at village level for which there may be only anecdotal or folkloric evidence. Chapter one of the book is devoted to the complex legal background. The town courts of the palatinates employed a variety of legal codes, mostly based on the Sachsenspiegel, Magdeburg Law, the Lithuanian Statutes and the Institutio Carolina. Torture and executions are discussed — the relatively low REVIEWS 569 usage of torture is worth noting, as is the fact that most of the accused were town dwellers, with a few peasants; nobles (szlachta — quite a large group) were tried in a separate court. This chapter also examines the role of gossip in accusations and evidence. Most of the accusations were against women, and not infrequently made by women. ChaptertwodiscussesUkrainianOrthodoxdemonologyanditsiconography (with illustrations) and the association of demons with witchcraft. Dysa concentrates on Orthodox demonology but also points out that the mixture of religions and ethnicities in the Polish-Lithanian Commonwealth meant that both in written works and in beliefs there was considerable interpenetration between Catholic and Orthodox culture, also that the Orthodox clergy, though condemning witchcraft, showed relatively little interest in witchcraft from a legal, theological or polemic viewpoint. Chapterthree,‘BeyondtheTrials,ortheAnatomyofWitchcraftAccusations’, deals with the nature of witchcraft accusations in a sequence of summarized trials and incidents interspersed with authorial comment. There follow subtopics : ‘Family and Witchcraft’, presented in much the same way but very informative; ‘Rivalry and Bewitchment’ on accusations of magical cropspoiling and killing of livestock, and the use of witchcraft against business rivals; ‘Dangerous Proximity: Master Servant Relationships’ deals with the use of magic and witchcraft, mostly by servants seeking to harm masters or mistresses or to gain favour with them. Next is ‘Subtle Love Matters’, described as ‘an essential part of the Ukrainian witchcraft trials’. It includes cases of love and anti-love magic but rather surprisingly fails to mention the love and anti-love oral...

The effectiveness of hazing African lions as a conflict mitigation tool: implications for carnivore management

AbstractHuman–carnivore conflict (HCC) represents one of the greatest threats to rural livelihoods and the persistence of large carnivores. The application of aversive conditioning, the association of unpleasant stimuli with the occurrence of unwanted behaviors, to mitigate HCC has achieved mixed results within and across species, making a better understanding of the factors driving intervention success critical to inform management practices. We explored the degree to which the chasing of African lions (Panthera leo) out of no tolerance zones conditions lion behavior to reduce their rate of return into community lands or rate of repeated livestock killing, providing evidence‐based understanding of program outcomes. We used data from 15 global positioning system (GPS)‐collared lions adjacent to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, with each lion receiving 0–17 conditioning treatments, and analyzed the data using recurrent event survival analysis and logistic regression. Chases were most successful (i.e., lion pushed out of the no tolerance zone by sunrise of the following day) in the dry season (i.e., when wild prey were more predictable), in areas closer to the park, and for individuals from smaller and more stable prides (i.e., had not lost a pride male within six months). Adult females and subadult males were more likely than adult males to reenter community lands, and subadult males were most likely to repeatedly depredate livestock. While livestock depredation has decreased since program initiation, the individuals in this study were overall not less likely to enter community lands or depredate livestock in response to chases when chases were considered isolated events. Rather, it was the consistency of deterrence events that proved most important in reducing livestock depredations, likely because of a stronger reinforcement between the undesired behavior and the negative stimulus. However, lions that had previously habitually killed livestock had greater depredation rates even after several conditioning treatments. Aversive conditioning holds promise in the management of carnivores that depredate livestock, but intervention must be consistent, ideally early in the development of problem behaviors, to maximize intervention effectiveness. Methods that separate wildlife from people (i.e., fencing, livestock enclosure fortification), in combination with aversive conditioning, may be needed to provide a sustainable, long‐term solution.

Élevage et loups en France : historique, bilan et pistes de solution

Vingt-cinq ans après leur arrivée en France, les loups sont régulièrement ou épisodiquement présents dans plus de 30 départements, avec 57 zones de présence permanente. Depuis 2008, la progression interannuelle des animaux d’élevage retrouvés prédatés (ovins, caprins, bovins, équins…) est linaire, avoisinant les 12 000 en 2017. Il faut y ajouter les animaux disparus et les dégâts indirects : stress à effet durable, avortements, blessures internes et baisse de fertilité. La France a pourtant mis en oeuvre et généralisé depuis 2004 une protection élaborée des troupeaux : présence humaine renforcée, chiens de protection et parcs de nuit électrifiés. Comment expliquer alors cet échec ? Il y a deux principales raisons. D’abord, les paysages composés de prairies, pelouses, haies, lisières et sous-bois, favorisent la prédation. Mais surtout, les loups se sont adaptés. Très intelligents et opportunistes, ils profitent en France de leur statut légal de protection stricte, n’associant visiblement plus les troupeaux aux humains et les humains au danger. Face à des troupeaux regroupés en parc de nuit, ils opèrent la moitié de leurs attaques en cours de journée, y compris en présence de chiens et d’humains. Dans les pays où les humains sont autorisés à défendre les troupeaux activement et promptement, y compris par des tirs létaux, les loups se tiennent plus à distance et les pertes d’élevage sont bien moindres. Sans une régulation ciblée des loups en fonction de leur comportement vis-à-vis des troupeaux, c’est la viabilité de nos élevages de plein air qui est profondément remise en question.

<b>Assessments on the impact of human-tiger conflict and community-based conservation in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India</b>

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) is one of the famous tiger reserves in India, situated in Uamria District of Madhya Pradesh. Data on human-tiger conflict were collected from the forest record during the period from 2001 to 2011 and a questionnaire survey was conducted to know the level of human-tiger conflict. A total of 27 human casualties were recorded, of which 40.75% were lethal (death) and 59.25% were injuries. A total of 1,603 livestock killing were recorded by tiger, of which consisting of 76.54% (1227) cattle (cow/ox), 22.52% (361) buffaloes and 0.93% (15) goats. Illegal entry into the core and buffer area for collection of minor forest produce, daily needs, and livestock grazing were observed to be the major reasons behind the existing conflict. Poor livestock shelter was also found responsible for mauling of cattle by tigers. The forest department had provided adequate compensation for the losses, but most of the respondents were unsatisfied due to assorted reasons. Poaching and retaliation killing of tiger is also a serious issue in and around BTR. A total of four tiger poaching and one revenge killing case was recorded. Conflicts create a negative impact on people, even then majority of the respondents (83.89%) felt the necessity for tiger conservation. Wildlife habitat improvement, restocking of prey base by translocation of herbivores, fencing of protected areas, controlled grazing and rangeland management, adequate compensation, eco-development, promoting the use of toilets in surrounding villages for safety, proper housing of livestock, and community-based conservation are some options for control and management of human-tiger conflict.

Spatio-temporal patterns of attacks on human and economic losses from wildlife in Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

Wildlife attacks on humans and economic losses often result in reduced support of local communities for wildlife conservation. Information on spatial and temporal patterns of such losses in the highly affected areas contribute in designing and implementing effective mitigation measures. We analyzed the loss of humans, livestock and property caused by wildlife during 1998 to 2016, using victim family’s reports to Chitwan National Park authorities and Buffer Zone User Committees. A total of 4,014 incidents were recorded including attacks on humans, livestock depredation, property damage and crop raiding caused by 12 wildlife species. In total >400,000 US dollar was paid to the victim families as a relief over the whole period. Most of the attacks on humans were caused by rhino, sloth bear, tiger, elephant, wild boar and leopard. A significantly higher number of conflict incidents caused by rhino and elephant were observed during full moon periods. An increase in the wildlife population did not coincide with an equal rise in conflict incidents reported. Underprivileged ethnic communities were attacked by wildlife more frequently than expected. Number of attacks on humans by carnivores and herbivores did not differ significantly. An insignificant decreasing trend of wildlife attacks on humans and livestock was observed with significant variation over the years. Tiger and leopard caused >90% of livestock depredation. Tigers killed both large (cattle and buffalo) and medium sized (goat, sheep, pig) livestock but leopard mostly killed medium sized livestock. Most (87%) of the livestock killing during 2012–2016 occurred within the stall but close (<500m) to the forest edge. Both the percentage of households with livestock and average holding has decreased over the years in buffer zone. Decreased forest dependency as well as conflict mitigation measures (electric and mesh wire fences) have contributed to keep the conflict incidents in control. Strengthening mitigation measures like construction of electric or mesh wire fences and predator-proof livestock corrals along with educating local communities about wildlife behavior and timely management of problem animals (man-eater tiger, rage elephant etc.) will contribute to reduce the conflict.

Reverse Extraction – Resource Sharing; Participatory Planning in Kodagu, India

Traditionally, people have depended on forests for their livelihood and a process of sustainable resource extraction was in place, which typically did not result in major degradation of forested landscapes. With the increase in human population, per capita consumption and commodity exports there have been substantial changes in land use patterns, and depletion of forest cover and habitat for wildlife. In response to shrinking habitat, a new phenomenon of “reverse extraction” is now increasingly visible, where wildlife such as elephants, leopards, wild boar, and several other species are increasingly coming out of their habitat that has resulted in crop raiding, livestock killing, and causing human deaths as well. This paper makes a case for anintegrated conservation planning at a regional scale takes advantage of indigenous knowledge, advances in geospatial technologies, and inclusive, participatory planning as a way forward that would create a people’s plan fulfilling human and wildlife needs.

Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is Africa's most endangered large felid and listed as Vulnerable with a declining population trend by the IUCN1. It ranges widely over sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of the Middle East. Cheetah conservationists face two major challenges, conflict with landowners over the killing of domestic livestock, and concern over range contraction. Understanding of the latter remains particularly poor2. Namibia is believed to support the largest number of cheetahs of any range country, around 30%, but estimates range from 2,9053 to 13,5204. The disparity is likely a result of the different techniques used in monitoring.Current techniques, including invasive tagging with VHF or satellite/GPS collars, can be costly and unreliable. The footprint identification technique5 is a new tool accessible to both field scientists and also citizens with smartphones, who could potentially augment data collection. The footprint identification technique analyzes digital images of footprints captured according to a standardized protocol. Images are optimized and measured in data visualization software. Measurements of distances, angles, and areas of the footprint images are analyzed using a robust cross-validated pairwise discriminant analysis based on a customized model. The final output is in the form of a Ward's cluster dendrogram. A user-friendly graphic user interface (GUI) allows the user immediate access and clear interpretation of classification results.The footprint identification technique algorithms are species specific because each species has a unique anatomy. The technique runs in a data visualization software, using its own scripting language (jsl) that can be customized for the footprint anatomy of any species. An initial classification algorithm is built from a training database of footprints from that species, collected from individuals of known identity. An algorithm derived from a cheetah of known identity is then able to classify free-ranging cheetahs of unknown identity. The footprint identification technique predicts individual cheetah identity with an accuracy of >90%.

Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is Africa's most endangered large felid and listed as Vulnerable with a declining population trend by the IUCN1. It ranges widely over sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of the Middle East. Cheetah conservationists face two major challenges, conflict with landowners over the killing of domestic livestock, and concern over range contraction. Understanding of the latter remains particularly poor2. Namibia is believed to support the largest number of cheetahs of any range country, around 30%, but estimates range from 2,9053 to 13,5204. The disparity is likely a result of the different techniques used in monitoring. Current techniques, including invasive tagging with VHF or satellite/GPS collars, can be costly and unreliable. The footprint identification technique5 is a new tool accessible to both field scientists and also citizens with smartphones, who could potentially augment data collection. The footprint identification technique analyzes digital images of footprints captured according to a standardized protocol. Images are optimized and measured in data visualization software. Measurements of distances, angles, and areas of the footprint images are analyzed using a robust cross-validated pairwise discriminant analysis based on a customized model. The final output is in the form of a Ward's cluster dendrogram. A user-friendly graphic user interface (GUI) allows the user immediate access and clear interpretation of classification results. The footprint identification technique algorithms are species specific because each species has a unique anatomy. The technique runs in a data visualization software, using its own scripting language (jsl) that can be customized for the footprint anatomy of any species. An initial classification algorithm is built from a training database of footprints from that species, collected from individuals of known identity. An algorithm derived from a cheetah of known identity is then able to classify free-ranging cheetahs of unknown identity. The footprint identification technique predicts individual cheetah identity with an accuracy of >90%.

Human-wildlife conflict and wildlife watershed management

In India, man-animal conflict is seen across the country in a variety of forms, including monkey menace in the urban areas, crop raiding by ungulates and wild pigs, depredation by elephants and cattle & human killing by tigers and leopards. Damage to agricultural crops and property, killing of livestock and human beings are some of the worst forms of man-animal conflict. One of the main challenges in and around any reserve forest area is to avoid or at least to minimize the incidences of man-animal conflict. An attempt has been made to analyze one of the main reasons (acute shortage of water in forest areas) behind such conflicts and suggest remedial measures to minimize this menace by adopting appropriate watershed management techniques.

Epidemiology and control of echinococcosis in central Asia, with particular reference to the People's Republic of China

At least 270 million people (58% of the total population) are at risk of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in Central Asia including areas of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and western China. The annual surgical incidence rate in Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan has been estimated to be as high as 25–27 cases/100,000 with the highest prevalence reaching 10% (range from 0.8 to 11.9%) in some Tibetan communities in western China. Echinococcus transmission in the region is largely associated with social factors including limited community knowledge of echinococcosis, small-scale household animal production, home killing of livestock, and the feeding of dogs with uncooked offal. Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is also endemic in Central Asia and is recognized as a major problem in some Tibetan communities with up to 6% of villagers infected in some villages. In western China, 5–30% of the population are seropositive against E. granulosus antigens, indicating that a large number of individuals have been exposed to the parasite. Although echinococcosis control programs have been initiated in some countries in Central Asia, control efforts are generally fragmented and uncoordinated. Monthly deworming of dogs with praziquantel (PZQ), as a key measure to control the Echinococcus parasites, has been used in western China. However, the approach has proven difficult in local semi-nomadic communities. Additional control measures including health education, domestic livestock animal treatment/vaccination and dog vaccination are needed in CE-endemic areas to accelerate progress.

Vultures vs livestock: conservation relationships in an emerging conflict between humans and wildlife

AbstractHuman–wildlife conflict is emerging as an important topic in conservation. Carnivores and birds of prey are responsible for most conflicts with livestock and game but since the mid 1990s a new conflict is emerging in south-west Europe: the presumed killing of livestock by griffon vulturesGyps fulvus. Lack of scientific data and magnification of the problem by the media are increasing alarm amongst the public, and political pressures to implement management decisions have not been based on scientific evidence. We compiled information on 1,793 complaints about attacks by griffon vultures on livestock, lodged with Spanish authorities from 1996 to 2010. Spain is home to the majority (95%) of griffon vultures and other scavengers in the European Union. Most of the cases occurred in areas of high livestock density, affected principally sheep (49%) and cows (31%), and were associated with spring birthing times (April–June). On average 69% of the complaints made annually were rejected because of a lack of evidence about whether the animal was alive before being eaten. The total economic cost of compensation was EUR 278,590 from 2004 to 2010. We discuss possible ways to mitigate this emerging human–wildlife conflict. These need to include the participation of livestock farmers, authorities, scientists and conservation groups.

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Case Study in Wondo Genet District, Southern Ethiopia

The purpose of this research was to identify the type of human- wildlife conflicts and wild mammals that cause the conflict, determine the extent of damage and to provide a better understanding of the causes of human-wildlife conflict in Wondo Genet district. The study was carried out from December 2013 to June 2013. Four sample areas were selected to collect data on human-wildlife conflict; Gotu, Wosha Soyoma and Wethera Kechema villages and Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources. Data were collected using questionnaires, one to one interviews, observations and cross checking of crop loss using quadrants in selected crop lands, reviewing of literature, and was later analyzed using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the target population comprised the households living in sampled areas, local administrators and staffs who lived within Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources. The study established that crop damages, livestock killing, human disruption and property destruction were some of the mostly reported damages. The results of the study further indicated that animal species most involved in HWC were warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), bush pig (Potamochoerus larvatus), vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), Olive baboon (Papio anubis), porcupine (Hystrix cristata), Giant mole rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) and African civet (Civettictis civetta). They were involved mostly in crop raiding/ damage. Most raided crops were maize (Zea mays), sugar cane (Saccharum africanum) and Enset (Ensete ventricosum). Over 75% of the population of Wondo Genet district was affected by crop raiders. Therefore, conservation education is paramount, coherent land use plans should be emphasized to determine where certain crops can be grown.

A Pilot Study for Control of Hyperendemic Cystic Hydatid Disease in China

BackgroundCystic hydatid disease (CHD) is a global parasitic zoonosis caused by the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus. The disease is hyperendemic in western China because of poor economic development; limited community knowledge of CHD; widespread, small-scale household animal production; home killing of livestock; and the feeding of dogs with uncooked offal.Methodology/Principal FindingsA control program focusing on monthly praziquantel (PZQ) treatment of all registered dogs and culling unwanted and stray dogs has been designed to control CHD in hyperendemic areas in China. A pilot field control project in two counties (Hutubi and Wensu) in Xinjiang, China showed that after 4 years of treatment, the prevalence of dogs with E. granulosus was reduced from 14.7% and 18.6%, respectively, to 0%, and this caused a 90%–100% decrease of CHD in sheep born after commencement of the control program.Conclusions/SignificanceThe strategy aimed at preventing eggs being released from dogs into the environment by treating animals before adult tapeworms are patent can decrease E. granulosus transmission and considerably reduce hyperendemic CHD. Monthly treatment of dogs with PZQ and culling unwanted and stray dogs have been shown to be an efficient, highly cost-effective and practicable measure for implementation in rural communities. As a result, the Chinese Ministry of Health has launched an extensive CHD control program in 117 counties in western China using this control strategy.