More bark than bite? The role of livestock guarding dogs in predator control on Namibian farmlands

AbstractThe conflict between predators and livestock farmers is a threat to carnivore conservation. Livestock guarding dogs are promoted as a non-lethal, environmentally friendly method to mitigate this conflict. As part of a farmer–carnivore conflict mitigation programme, the Cheetah Conservation Fund breeds Anatolian shepherd (also known as Kangal) dogs to protect livestock from predators. During 2009–2010 we interviewed 53 commercial and 20 subsistence Namibian farmers that are using 83 such dogs. Fewer commercial and subsistence farmers reported livestock losses to predators during the most recent year of guarding-dog use compared to the year before dogs were introduced. All subsistence farmers, but not all commercial farmers, ceased killing predators during the most recent year of guarding-dog use. All farmers ceased killing cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and leopard Panthera pardus during this year, and one dog killed a single cheetah. Conversely, dogs and farmers killed more black-backed jackals Canis mesomelas between them in the survey year than the farmers reported killing in the year before acquiring dogs. Two of the dogs reportedly killed non-target carnivore species, and 15 killed prey species. Thus our results challenge the categorization of livestock guarding dogs as a non-lethal conflict mitigation method. We suggest that the conservation status and body size of wild carnivores relative to the size of the guarding dogs be considered before introducing dogs to protect livestock. Additionally, corrective training for dogs that chase or kill non-target species should be implemented, especially where farmers value these species or where non-target species are threatened.

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Human-carnivore coexistence: factors influencing stakeholder attitudes towards large carnivores and conservation in Zimbabwe

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892920000491 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Esther van der Meer ◽

Hans Dullemont

Keyword(s):

Economic Value ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Carnivore Conservation ◽

Subsistence Farmers ◽

Carnivore Species ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Need To Evaluate ◽

The Aesthetic ◽

Main Component ◽

Stakeholder Attitudes

Summary Promoting human-carnivore coexistence is a main component of carnivore conservation. Coexistence programmes are usually informed by attitudinal studies that evaluate intended behaviour towards carnivores. This questionnaire survey assesses attitudes of governmental and non-governmental conservation stakeholders in Zimbabwe towards living with carnivores, large carnivore species and the conservation of wildlife, and determines whether being part of coexistence programmes (CAMPFIRE, TFCAs) positively affects attitudes. Stakeholder attitudes were most positive when employment was directly related to wildlife and stakeholders had knowledge about and exposure to carnivores. Stakeholders who depend on livestock and/or had little knowledge about and less exposure to carnivores were most negative, this included governmental stakeholders responsible for natural resource management. Positive attitudes were largely based on the aesthetic and economic value of carnivores, while negative attitudes were based on the fear of livestock loss and perceived danger to humans. Subsistence farmers were the most negative stakeholders, as such, the focus on this group to promote coexistence seems justified. However, although some stakeholders were more positive in CAMPFIRE areas or TFCAs, CAMPFIRE and TFCAs failed to improve attitudes of subsistence farmers, which highlights a need to evaluate and adapt these programmes.

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Relative availability of natural prey versus livestock predicts landscape suitability for cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus in Botswana

10.7287/peerj.preprints.823 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Hanlie EK Winterbach ◽

Christiaan W Winterbach ◽

Lorraine Boast ◽

Rebecca Klein ◽

Michael MJ Somers

Keyword(s):

Prey Availability ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Acinonyx Jubatus ◽

Carnivore Species ◽

High Conservation ◽

Small Livestock ◽

Agricultural Areas ◽

Conflict Mitigation

Prey availability and human-carnivore conflict are strong determinants that govern the spatial distribution and abundance of large carnivore species and determine the suitability of areas for their conservation. For wide-ranging large carnivores such as cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) suitable conservation areas beyond protected area boundaries are crucial to effectively conserve them both inside and outside protected areas. Although cheetahs prefer preying on wild prey, they also cause conflict with people by predating on especially small livestock. We investigated whether the distribution of cheetahs’ preferred prey and small livestock biomass can be used to explore the current potential suitability of agricultural areas in Botswana for the long-term persistence of its cheetah population. We found it gave a good point of departure for identifying priority areas for land management, the threat to connectivity between cheetah populations and areas where the reduction and mitigation of human-cheetah conflict is critical. Our analysis showed the existence of a wide prey base for cheetahs across large parts of Botswana’s agricultural areas which provide additional large areas with high conservation potential. Twenty percent wild prey biomass proved to be possibly the critical point to distinguish between high and low predicted levels of human-cheetah conflict. We identified focal areas in the agricultural zones where restoring wild prey numbers in concurrence with effective human-cheetah conflict mitigation efforts are the most immediate conservation strategies needed to maintain Botswana’s still large and contiguous cheetah population.

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Relative availability of natural prey versus livestock predicts landscape suitability for cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus in Botswana

10.7287/peerj.preprints.823v1 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Hanlie EK Winterbach ◽

Christiaan W Winterbach ◽

Lorraine Boast ◽

Rebecca Klein ◽

Michael MJ Somers

Keyword(s):

Prey Availability ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Acinonyx Jubatus ◽

Carnivore Species ◽

High Conservation ◽

Small Livestock ◽

Agricultural Areas ◽

Conflict Mitigation

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Estimates of carnivore densities in a human-dominated agricultural matrix in South Africa

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s003060532100034x ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

J. Philip B. Faure ◽

Lourens H. Swanepoel ◽

Deon Cilliers ◽

Jan A. Venter ◽

Russell A. Hill

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Crocuta Crocuta ◽

Carnivore Conservation ◽

Agricultural Matrix ◽

Carnivore Species ◽

Population Sizes ◽

Capture Recapture ◽

Privately Owned

Abstract Populations of carnivore species outside protected areas may be of considerable importance for conservation, as many protected areas do not provide sufficient space for viable populations. Data on carnivore population sizes and trends are often biased towards protected areas, and few studies have examined the role of unprotected areas for carnivore conservation. We used camera-trapping data and spatial capture–recapture models to estimate population densities for four sympatric carnivores: the African leopard Panthera pardus, spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, brown hyaena Parahyaena brunnea and African civet Civettictis civetta in Platjan, a predominantly agricultural, mixed land-use system, South Africa. Mean densities per 100 km2 for the leopard were 2.20 (95% CI 1.32–3.68) and 2.18 (95% CI 1.32–3.61) for left and right flank data, respectively; spotted hyaena, 0.22 (95% CI 0.06–0.81); brown hyaena, 0.74 (95% CI 0.30–1.88); and African civet 3.60 (95% CI 2.34–5.57; left flanks) and 3.71 (95% CI 2.41–5.72; right flanks). Our results indicate that although densities are lower than those reported for protected areas, humans and predators coexist in this unprotected agricultural matrix. We suggest that increased conservation effort should be focused in such areas, to mitigate human–carnivore conflicts. Our study improves the knowledge available for carnivore populations on privately owned, unprotected land, and may benefit conservation planning.

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Temperament, Plasticity, and Emotions in Defensive Behaviour of Paca (Mammalia, Hystricognatha)

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11020293 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 293

Author(s):

Selene S. C. Nogueira ◽

Sérgio L. G. Nogueira-Filho ◽

José M. B. Duarte ◽

Michael Mendl

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Behavioural Plasticity ◽

Affective States ◽

Defensive Behaviour ◽

Rapid Adaptation ◽

Behavioural Responses ◽

Judgement Bias ◽

Temperament Dimension ◽

Ambiguous Cue

Within a species, some individuals are better able to cope with threatening environments than others. Paca (Cuniculus paca) appear resilient to over-hunting by humans, which may be related to the behavioural plasticity shown by this species. To investigate this, we submitted captive pacas to temperament tests designed to assess individual responses to short challenges and judgement bias tests (JBT) to evaluate individuals’ affective states. Results indicated across-time and context stability in closely correlated “agitated”, “fearful” and “tense” responses; this temperament dimension was labelled “restless”. Individual “restless” scores predicted responses to novelty, although not to simulated chasing and capture by humans in a separate modified defence test battery (MDTB). Restless animals were more likely to show a greater proportion of positive responses to an ambiguous cue during JBT after the MDTB. Plasticity in defensive behaviour was inferred from changes in behavioural responses and apparently rapid adaptation to challenge in the different phases of the MDTB. The results indicate that both temperament and behavioural plasticity may play a role in influencing paca responses to risky situations. Therefore, our study highlights the importance of understanding the role of individual temperament traits and behavioural plasticity in order to better interpret the animals’ conservation status and vulnerabilities.

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Production of C4+ (2s2p 3,1P) hollow states in collisions of 6-18 MeV C4+ (1s2, 1s2s 3S) mixed-state beams with gas targets

HNPS Proceedings ◽

10.12681/hnps.1808 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 133

Author(s):

A. Laoutaris ◽

I. Madesis ◽

E. P. Benis ◽

T. J. M. Zouros

Keyword(s):

Ground State ◽

Collision Energy ◽

Spin Exchange ◽

Electron Excitation ◽

Target Species ◽

Zero Degree ◽

Excitation Mechanisms ◽

Gas Targets ◽

Ar Gas

Normalized electron yields of the formation of 2s2p 3,1P states from the metastable states 1s2s 3,1S and from the ground state 1s21S were obtained in 6-18MeV C4+ collisions with H2, He, Ne and Ar gas targets. The method of zero-degree Auger projectile spectroscopy was used to detect electrons emitted in the Auger decay C4+ (2s2p 3,1P) → C5+ (1s) + e-with high resolution. These states are of particular importance in the detailed study of fundamental excitation mechanisms, i.e. electron-nucleus excitation, electron-electron excitation and electron-electron excitation with spin exchange. Currently, the role of the above mechanisms in the production of the 2s2p 3,1P states is investigated utilizing variable 1s2s 3S metastable fraction beams as a function of collision energy and target species. Our latest results are presented.

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Coexistence through the Ages: the Role of Native Livestock Guardian Dogs and Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Key Resources in Conflict Mitigation between Pastoralists and Large Carnivores in the Romanian Carpathians

Journal of Ethnobiology ◽

10.2993/0278-0771-40.4.465 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cosmin Marius Ivaşcu ◽

Alina Biro

Keyword(s):

Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽

Ecological Knowledge ◽

Large Carnivores ◽

Romanian Carpathians ◽

Key Resources ◽

Conflict Mitigation

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Artròpodes subterranis: novetats faunístiques i conservació en quatre espais naturals protegits de Catalunya

Arxius de Miscel·lània Zoològica ◽

10.32800/amz.2021.19.0289 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 289-306

Author(s):

F. Fadrique ◽

L. Auroux ◽

M. Prieto ◽

J. Mederos ◽

N. Brañas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Target Species ◽

Natural Reserves

As a first approach to the conservation status of the hypogeous environment we studied six troglobyte arthropods in 19 chasms and caves in four natural reserves in Catalonia: Garraf, Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac, El Montseny, and El Montnegre i El Corredor. The target species were four leiodid beetles, Troglocharinus ferreri ferreri (Reitter), Troglocharinus kiesenwetteri sanllorensi (Zariquiey), Parvospeonomus canyellesi (Lagar), and Parvospeonomus urgellesi (Español), a pseudoscorpion, Troglobisium racovitzai (Ellingsen), and an isopod, Stenasellus virei Dollfus. Other findings of interest herein are the description of Dicranophragma relictum Mederos (Diptera: Limoniidae) and new citations for Catalonia of Troglobisium racovitzai, the beetle Linderia armata (Schaufuss), and the dipterans Dactylolabis sexmaculata (Macquart) i Elliptera hungarica Madarassy. Data published through GBIF (Doi: 10.15468/dl.y7gbdr)

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Carnivores (Mammalia) from areas of Nearctic–Neotropical transition in Puebla, central Mexico: presence, distribution, and conservation

Check List ◽

10.15560/12.1.1833 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 1833 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Osvaldo Eric Ramírez-Bravo ◽

Lorna Hernandez-Santin

Keyword(s):

Habitat Loss ◽

Conservation Status ◽

The State ◽

Lynx Rufus ◽

Risk Category ◽

Central Mexico ◽

Leopardus Pardalis ◽

Lethal Control ◽

Hunting Pressure ◽

Carnivore Species

The Nearctic and Neotropical realms converge in central Mexico, where many areas have not been adequately characterized. Our objective was to revise the distribution and conservation status of carnivores in the state of Puebla, central Mexico. Between September 2008 and January 2011, we conducted interviews and fieldwork on seven previously selected areas. We complemented our data with bibliographical research. We obtained 733 records for 21 species, representing 63% of the carnivores reported for Mexico. We expanded known ranges of three species: Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), Bobcat (Lynx rufus), and Tropical Ringtail (Bassariscus sumichastrii). Fifty percent of the carnivore species we recorded in Puebla are considered under some risk category. We found that carnivores in our study area are vulnerable to hunting pressure, human-carnivore conflicts that result in lethal control practices, and extensive habitat loss.

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