Content area
Full Text
Eur J Wildl Res (2014) 60:291296 DOI 10.1007/s10344-013-0782-z
ORIGINAL PAPER
Assessment of humanleopard conflict in Machiara National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
Muhammad Kabir & Arash Ghoddousi &
Muhammad Sadique Awan & Muhammad Naeem Awan
Received: 19 February 2013 /Revised: 3 November 2013 /Accepted: 11 November 2013 /Published online: 4 December 2013 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Livestock depredation by leopards is one of the key conservation issues in landscapes with limited resources worldwide. Any attempts to mitigate humanleopard conflict and conserve the species in conflict should be based on an unequivocal understanding of the conflict patterns. A household survey was conducted with an intention to quantify livestock losses resulting from depredation by leopards in and around the Machiara National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. A total of 301 livestock were killed between June 2007 and August 2008 by leopards. The extent of loss varied in different months, with maximum killing occur-ring in the month of May. Small-bodied livestock such as goats and sheep were more vulnerable than large-bodied cattle. Goats were killed in significantly higher numbers as compared to other livestock. Domestic animals were killed more frequently at night as compared to other times of the day. There was a significant effect of the nighttime protection measures on depredation. Most attacks happened in valleys and in areas far from the forests. Factors most closely associated with livestock depredation included decline of natural prey, herding practices, guarding especially during the nighttime, and repeated use of pastures where predators were
known to be hunting actively. Attitudes of the local community towards leopards were largely negative, and further efforts should be made to improve support for carnivore conservation. We suggest widespread local community education and proactive humanleopard conflict management, particularly through adopting carnivore-friendly livestock protection measures.
Keywords Leopard . Panthera pardus . Livestock depredation . Conflict . Himalayan ecosystem . Machiara National Park . Pakistan
Introduction
Many ecological, biological, and anthropogenic factors operate independently or synergistically to cause the global decline of carnivore species (Cardillo et al. 2004). According to Graham et al. (2005), livestock depredation by carnivores is one of the main reasons for conflict between carnivores and humans. Conflict between humans and leopard (Panthera pardus) is a complex issue influenced by political...