Plain Language Summary: Do lions and leopards attack livestock in the same place?

By Timothy Kuiper, David Macdonald, Lovemore Sibanda, Liomba-Junior Mathe, Daphine Madhlamoto, and Andrew Loveridge.

Read the full paper here.

Our research found subtle differences in the specific places that different wild carnivores attack livestock alongside a Zimbabwean National Park. Lions, for example, were less likely than spotted hyenas to attack livestock far from the Park. We also found differences in where different livestock species tended to be attacked by carnivores. We conclude that this likely has to do with the behaviour of carnivores and livestock herders. Much previous work, for example, has shown that hyenas are more comfortable than lions to roam and even take up residence outside protected areas.   

We analysed the locations of over a thousand incidents in which wild carnivores attacked domestic livestock alongside Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, between 2009 and 2013. This included attacks by lions, leopards and hyenas on cattle, donkeys and goats . We found some clear overall patterns regardless of the predator or livestock species involved: attacks were more likely near protected areas (core carnivore habitat), in more open areas (where livestock grazing was more common), and nearer human settlements (where livestock call home).  

There were subtle deviations, however, such as the lion/hyena difference highlighted above. Another reason why lions are more likely to attack livestock nearer the Park may be because herders move cattle (lions’ preferred livestock prey) to good grazing areas nearer the Park in the wet season (just when lions are finding it harder to hunt wild prey). We also found that leopards were more likely than other predators to attack livestock in areas of higher human density and nearer water sources, likely reflecting their preference for goats and sheep which generally remain near homesteads unless taken to watering holes.

Our findings highlight the importance of first understanding the behaviours of livestock and carnivore species before designing tailored solutions that minimise livestock loss and maximise carnivore conservation.