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Louchouarn NX, Treves A. Low-stress livestock handling protects cattle in a five-predator habitat. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14788. [PMID: 36793893 PMCID: PMC9924134 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the ecological importance of top predators, societies are turning to non-lethal methods for coexistence. Coexistence is challenging when livestock graze within wild predator habitats. We report a randomized, controlled experiment to evaluate low-stress livestock handling (L-SLH), a form of range riding, to deter grizzly (brown) bears, gray wolves, cougars, black bears, and coyotes in Southwestern Alberta. The treatment condition was supervision by two newly hired and trained range riders and an experienced L-SLH-practicing range rider. This treatment was compared against a baseline pseudo-control condition of the experienced range rider working alone. Cattle experienced zero injuries or deaths in either condition. We infer that inexperienced range riders trained and supervised by an experienced rider did not raise or lower the risk to cattle. Also, predators did not shift to the cattle herds protected by fewer range riders. We found a correlation suggesting grizzly bears avoided herds visited more frequently by range riders practicing L-SLH. More research is required to compare different forms of range riding. However, pending experimental evaluation of other designs, we recommend use of L-SLH. We discuss the cobenefits of this husbandry method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi X. Louchouarn
- Nelson Insitute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Adrian Treves
- Nelson Institute for Environmental Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States of America
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Malviya M, Krishnamurthy R. Multiscale spatially explicit modelling of livestock depredation by reintroduced tiger (Panthera tigris) to predict conflict risk probability. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Janczarek I, Wiśniewska A, Chruszczewski MH, Tkaczyk E, Górecka-Bruzda A. Social Behaviour of Horses in Response to Vocalisations of Predators. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E2331. [PMID: 33302443 PMCID: PMC7764477 DOI: 10.3390/ani10122331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that social defensive responses to the vocalisation of a predator still exist in horses. The recordings of a grey wolf, an Arabian leopard and a golden jackal were played to 20 Konik polski and Arabian mares. Durations of grazing, standing still, standing alert and the number of steps in walk and trot/canter were measured. In one-minute scans, the distances of the focal horse from the reference horse (DIST-RH) and from the nearest loudspeaker (DIST-LS) were approximated. The vocalisation of a leopard aroused the Arabians more than the Koniks (less grazing, stand-still and walk, more stand-alert and trotting/cantering). Koniks showed more relaxed behaviours to the leopard vocalisation (more grazing, stand-still and walk), but high alertness to the wolf playback (stand-alert, trotting/cantering). Spatial formation of the herd of Koniks showed tight grouping (lower DIST-RH) and maintaining distance from the potential threat (DIST-LS) in response to the wolf howling, while the Arabians approached the loudspeakers in linear herd formation when the leopard growls were played. Adult horses responded to potential predation by changing spatial group formations. This ability to apply a social strategy may be one of the explanations for the least number of horses among all hunted farm animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Janczarek
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (I.J.); (A.W.); (E.T.)
| | - Anna Wiśniewska
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (I.J.); (A.W.); (E.T.)
| | | | - Ewelina Tkaczyk
- Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (I.J.); (A.W.); (E.T.)
| | - Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda
- Department of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzębiec, 05-552 Magdalenka, Poland
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Landry JM, Borelli JL, Drouilly M. Interactions between livestock guarding dogs and wolves in the southern French Alps. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Landry
- Institut pour la Promotion et la Recherche sur les Animaux de protection, La Frasse, Haute-Savoie, France; e-mail:
| | - Jean-Luc Borelli
- Institut pour la Promotion et la Recherche sur les Animaux de protection, La Frasse, Haute-Savoie, France; e-mail:
| | - Marine Drouilly
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University North Avenue, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; e-mail:
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Wilkinson CE, McInturff A, Miller JRB, Yovovich V, Gaynor KM, Calhoun K, Karandikar H, Martin JV, Parker-Shames P, Shawler A, Van Scoyoc A, Brashares JS. An ecological framework for contextualizing carnivore-livestock conflict. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:854-867. [PMID: 32406970 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Carnivore predation on livestock is a complex management and policy challenge, yet it is also intrinsically an ecological interaction between predators and prey. Human-wildlife interactions occur in socioecological systems in which human and environmental processes are closely linked. However, underlying human-wildlife conflict and key to unpacking its complexity are concrete and identifiable ecological mechanisms that lead to predation events. To better understand how ecological theory accords with interactions between wild predators and domestic prey, we developed a framework to describe ecological drivers of predation on livestock. We based this framework on foundational ecological theory and current research on interactions between predators and domestic prey. We used this framework to examine ecological mechanisms (e.g., density-mediated effects, behaviorally mediated effects, and optimal foraging theory) through which specific management interventions operate, and we analyzed the ecological determinants of failure and success of management interventions in 3 case studies: snow leopards (Panthera uncia), wolves (Canis lupus), and cougars (Puma concolor). The varied, context-dependent successes and failures of the management interventions in these case studies demonstrated the utility of using an ecological framework to ground research and management of carnivore-livestock conflict. Mitigation of human-wildlife conflict appears to require an understanding of how fundamental ecological theories work within domestic predator-prey systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine E Wilkinson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Alex McInturff
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Jennifer R B Miller
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
- Defenders of Wildlife, 1130 17th St. NW, Washington DC, 20036, U.S.A
| | - Veronica Yovovich
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Kendall Calhoun
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Harshad Karandikar
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Jeff Vance Martin
- Department of Geography, University of California, 505 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Phoebe Parker-Shames
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Avery Shawler
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Amy Van Scoyoc
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
| | - Justin S Brashares
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 139 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A
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The effectiveness of livestock protection measures against wolves (Canis lupus) and implications for their co-existence with humans. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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Johnson CN, Wallach AD. The virtuous circle: predator-friendly farming and ecological restoration in Australia. Restor Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris N. Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Tasmania; Private Bag 55 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia
| | - Arian D. Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences; University of Technology Sydney; P.O. Box 123 Broadway Ultimo NSW 2007 Australia
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Geffroy B, Samia DSM, Bessa E, Blumstein DT. How Nature-Based Tourism Might Increase Prey Vulnerability to Predators. Trends Ecol Evol 2015; 30:755-765. [PMID: 26475119 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Tourism can be deleterious for wildlife because it triggers behavioral changes in individuals with cascading effects on populations and communities. Among these behavioral changes, animals around humans often reduce their fearfulness and antipredator responses towards humans. A straightforward prediction is that habituation to humans associated with tourism would negatively influence reaction to predators. This could happen indirectly, where human presence decreases the number of natural predators and thus prey become less wary, or directly, where human-habituated individuals become bolder and thus more vulnerable to predation. Building on ideas from the study of traits associated with domestication and urbanization, we develop a framework to understand how behavioral changes associated with nature-based tourism can impact individual fitness, and thus the demographic trajectory of a population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Geffroy
- Center of Study of the Meridional Amazon, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sinop, Brazil; INRA, UR1037 LPGP, Fish Physiology and Genomics, Campus de Beaulieu, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Diogo S M Samia
- Laboratory of Theoretical Ecology and Synthesis, Department of Ecology, Federal University of Goiás, CP. 131, 74001-970 Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Bessa
- State University of Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, Brazil; Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology of Reproduction, State University of Ponta Grossa, Av. Gal. Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, 84030-900 Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA.
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Cooke RF. Bill E. Kunkle Interdisciplinary Beef Symposium: Temperament and acclimation to human handling influence growth, health, and reproductive responses in Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle. J Anim Sci 2014; 92:5325-33. [PMID: 25023802 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2014-8017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Temperament in cattle is defined as the fear-related behavioral responses when exposed to human handling. Our group evaluates cattle temperament using 1) chute score on a 1 to 5 scale that increases according to excitable behavior during restraint in a squeeze chute, 2) exit velocity (speed of an animal exiting the squeeze chute), 3) exit score (dividing cattle according to exit velocity into quintiles using a 1 to 5 scale where 1=cattle in the slowest quintile and 5=cattle in the fastest quintile), and 4) temperament score (average of chute and exit scores). Subsequently, cattle are assigned a temperament type of adequate temperament (ADQ; temperament score≤3) or excitable temperament (EXC; temperament score>3). To assess the impacts of temperament on various beef production systems, our group associated these evaluation criteria with productive, reproductive, and health characteristics of Bos taurus and Bos indicus-influenced cattle. As expected, EXC cattle had greater plasma cortisol vs. ADQ cattle during handling, independent of breed type (B. indicus×B. taurus, P<0.01; B. taurus, P<0.01; B. indicus, P=0.04) or age (cows, P<0.01; heifers or steers, P<0.01). In regards to reproduction, EXC females had reduced annual pregnancy rates vs. ADQ cohorts across breed types (B. taurus, P=0.03; B. indicus, P=0.05). Moreover, B. taurus EXC cows also had decreased calving rate (P=0.04), weaning rate (P=0.09), and kilograms of calf weaned/cow exposed to breeding (P=0.08) vs. ADQ cohorts. In regards to feedlot cattle, B. indicus EXC steers had reduced ADG (P=0.02) and G:F (P=0.03) during a 109-d finishing period compared with ADQ cohorts. Bos taurus EXC cattle had reduced weaning BW (P=0.04), greater acute-phase protein response on feedlot entry (P≤0.05), impaired feedlot receiving ADG (P=0.05), and reduced carcass weight (P=0.07) vs. ADQ cohorts. Acclimating B. indicus×B. taurus or B. taurus heifers to human handling improved temperament (P≤0.02), reduced plasma cortisol (P<0.01), and hastened puberty attainment (P≤0.02). However, no benefits were observed when mature cows or feeder cattle were acclimated to human handling. In conclusion, temperament impacts productive, reproductive, and health characteristics of beef cattle independent of breed type. Hence, strategies to improve herd temperament are imperative for optimal production efficiency of beef operations based on B. taurus and B. indicus-influenced cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- R F Cooke
- Oregon State University, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns 97720
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