Summary
Key takeaway: Many snow leopard attacks on livestock can be avoided with vigilant herding, small adjustments and better corrals.
Highlights: For the first time ever, by closely monitoring radio-collared snow leopards, our scientists were able to study prey preferences and predation patterns of individual snow leopards, and establish the circumstances, times and locations of snow leopard attacks on livestock. We found that adult males killed 2-6 times more livestock than females and young males. Livestock attacks by snow leopards outside of corrals mainly happen in rugged parts of the landscape, and usually on stragglers; sheep and goats that were separated from the herd. Snow leopards become vulnerable to retaliatory killing when they repeatedly attack livestock.
Why it matters: It appears that many livestock attacks can be prevented by vigilant herding and small adjustments, such as not leaving herds out in the pastures overnight, and avoiding broken terrain. The research shows that retaliatory killing of snow leopards can be reduced considerably through collaborative predator proofing of corrals.
Title: Snow leopard predation in a livestock dominated landscape in Mongolia
Publication: Biological Conservation
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