Advancing the Management of Carnivore Predation on Livestock in Western Canada

摘要

There is a need for greater engagement between government and interest groups in western Canada to develop innovative solutions to the continued conflict of livestock predation by carnivores. Currently, financial compensation for livestock losses and lethal control of carnivores are the most common tools for addressing livestock predation by carnivores in western Canada (Musiani & Paquet, 2004). Lethal control, however, fails to reduce conflict, as predation events continue (Musiani et al., 2005; Treves & Naughton-Treves, 2005). There is decreasing acceptance for lethal control of carnivores by the general public (Kellert, Black, Rush, & Bath, 1996; Treves & Naughton-Treves, 2005). Compensation programs have generally proven to be ineffective at reducing conflict in the long term because they fail to prevent future predation (Boitani, Ciucci, & Raganella-Pelliccioni, 2010) or address social factors related to livestock predation conflict (Dickman, 2010; Naughton-Treves, Grossberg, & Treves, 2003).