Protecting Livestock and Jaguars: New Study Reveals Cost-Effective Solutions for Wild Cat and Cattle Co-Existence  

Jaguars (Panthera onca) ranged over a very broad area — nearly spanning nearly 60 degrees of latitude and 7 million square kilometers from northern Mexico to Argentina. But their range is decreasing, and one of the major causes is human-wildlife conflict. 
 
Throughout much of jaguar range, habitat loss and human development cause jaguars to live in closer proximity to humans. And when cattle or other livestock go missing from farms in jaguar range, ranchers sometimes kill the big cats in retaliation.  
 
This issue manifests across a wide range of ranches and farms. A lot of the conflicts that can occur are on small family farms, where the livestock are essentially bank accounts and a single loss can be a financial ruin.  
 
Dr. Allison Devlin, Panthera Jaguar Program Director, asked “How can we help people co-exist with jaguars and other natural predators and help support them to survive?” 
 
To address that question, Dr. John Polisar and his colleagues, including human-jaguar coexistence experts Rafael and Almira Hoogesteijn and Dr. Devlin, set about documenting a wide range of tools, called anti-depredation strategies, that can be used to protect livestock from jaguars and evaluated their effectiveness. Interventions can range from improving animal husbandry practices to more complex methods like electric fencing or audio-visual deterrents that use bright lights or loud noises to scare off cats. 
 
But do anti-depredation strategies actually work? The short answer: yes, they do!  
 
In this recent study published in Animals, the multiple co-authors from throughout jaguar range assessed non-lethal anti-depredation strategies aimed at reducing jaguar predation on livestock throughout Latin America. Using a structured questionnaire, they analyzed the strategies used in 248 ranches and farms across 11 countries that included 11 categories of anti-depredation tools, ranging in complexity and cost from low-tech measures to more elaborate systems.  
 
Every single method reduced depredation. And most were cost effective, sometimes substantially — saving ranchers money in the long run.

Here are just a few examples:

• In large ranches in the Chaco of Paraguay, combinations of methods including electric lights and maternity pastures reduced livestock loss by 100%. Anti-depredation tools are often most effective in pairs or groups.
• On small family ranches in the Colombian Llanos, night enclosures for vulnerable young livestock (combined with other mitigation practices and improved jaguar prey species management) resulted in a 100% reduction of losses on 14 ranches. 
• A rancher in Bolivia credits much of their success in deterring jaguars from attacking livestock to including water buffalo in their herds, as these animals are known to confront and fend off jaguars.
• In a large community-owned herd of cattle in the montane forests of Argentina’s Yungas, electric fences controlled depredation with 100% effectiveness. Electric fences did the same for 12 medium-sized ranches in the lowland humid forests of Costa Rica.  

 Anti-depredation strategies do work — from small family farms to large-scale livestock operations, across a variety of habitats, and across the entirety of the jaguar range. The strategies can be improved or adapted depending on location, size or type of livestock herds, and budget, helping to improve jaguar-human coexistence.  
 
“In order for us to effectively turn the tide around for jaguars — to transform  conflict into coexistence between jaguars and the people who live alongside them — we need to first listen, to understand what life is like on the ground of people who live with jaguars, and understand how we can improve day-to-day life through locally adapted interventions,” said Dr. Devlin.  
 
Dr. Polisar agreed. “It was important to examine and document what strategies work, and where, and how. Through a massive team effort, we did that — and provided evidence that these techniques really can achieve improved livelihoods and coexistence with jaguars.”  

From Rainforests to Ranchlands: A Region-Wide Approach 

What sets this study apart is the sheer volume of data: it compiles information from practitioners across 11 countries, numerous habitats, and different sizes and types of livestock ranches, incorporating private, community and Indigenous operations from northern Mexico to Argentina. It’s the first comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of jaguar anti-depredation tools at this scale and depth. 
 
The study includes over 30 co-authors from throughout jaguar range — the maximum the scientific journal would allow to be listed on the byline. The remaining 15+ participants are thanked in the Acknowledgements.

Dr. Polisar commented, “This study was testimony to the power of collaborative efforts. The team pulled for a common goal and documented effective coexistence tools across an enormous area.” 
 
The inventory of different interventions provides a baseline for future research and better connects practitioners, said Dr. Devlin. The collaboration and coordination needed to complete this study also opens doors for more data sharing across countries, so researchers can improve deterrent designs and further increase effectiveness.  
 
“We’re trying to ensure safe passage for jaguars and support turning human-wildlife conflict into coexistence,” she said.  
 
Learn more about our work to protect jaguars and get involved today.