Wildlife Management Working Paper 13 MANAGING THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND LION Reviewandinsightsfromthe literatureandfieldexperience Wildlife Management Working Paper 13 MANAGING THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND LION Reviewandinsightsfromthe literatureandfieldexperience P. Chardonnet International Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife (IGF Foundation), France B. Soto Transfrontier Conservation Area Programme (TFCA), Mozambique H. Fritz French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France W Crosmary French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France N. Drouet-Hoguet Wildlife Consultant, France P. Mesochina International Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife (IGF Foundation), France M. Pellerin Wildlife Consultant, France D. Mallon Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), United Kingdom L. Bakker World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – The Netherlands The Netherlands H. Boulet International Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife (IGF Foundation), Mozambique F. Lamarque International Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife (IGF Foundation), France Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2010 “When a lion emerges from the bushes in the red dawn and lets out a booming roar, then even in fifty years humans will stand in awe.” (Professor Bernhard Grzimek: Serengeti Shall not Die, 1959) “The lion population continues to be fairly strong and well distributed but, because of the necessity to shoot cattle-killers and man-eaters, lion must be carefully looked after or else they will become rare.” (Ugandan Game Department Archives, 1962–1963) Contents Preface ...................................................................................................................................5 Foreword................................................................................................................................6 Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................7 Acronyms................................................................................................................................8 Introduction............................................................................................................................9 1 The Conflict ....................................................................................................................11 1. The nature of the conflict .............................................................................................11 1.1. Predation on livestock..........................................................................................11 1.2. Attacks on humans...............................................................................................12 1.2.1. Provoked attacks .....................................................................................................................14 1.2.2. Unprovoked attacks.................................................................................................................15 1.3. Predation on endangered species .........................................................................15 1.4. Magnitude of the conflict.....................................................................................16 1.4.1. Attacks on humans..................................................................................................................16 1.4.2. Predation on livestock.............................................................................................................18 2. The roots of the conflict ...................................................................................................19 2.1. The human factor.................................................................................................19 2.1.1. Requirements of human development.....................................................................................19 2.1.2. The security risk......................................................................................................................19 2.1.3. Attitudes and perceptions........................................................................................................21 2.2. The habitat factor .................................................................................................23 2.2.1. Natural factors.........................................................................................................................23 2.2.2. Agricultural influence .............................................................................................................24 2.2.3. Pastoral influence....................................................................................................................25 2.3. The lion factor......................................................................................................26 2.3.1. Behaviour................................................................................................................................26 2.3.2. Diminished lions .....................................................................................................................26 2.4. The prey factor.....................................................................................................27 2.4.1. Availability of prey .................................................................................................................27 2.4.2. Competition for prey between man and lion...........................................................................27 2.4.3. Pathology of prey....................................................................................................................28 2 Human/Lion Conflict Management .............................................................................29 1. Human management ........................................................................................................29 1.1. Community awareness.........................................................................................29 1.2. Compensation ......................................................................................................30 1.2.1. Direct compensation: subsidies and insurance........................................................................31 2. Livestock management.................................................................................................35 2.1. Intensifying human vigilance...............................................................................35 2.2. Livestock guarding animals .................................................................................36 2.3. Using enclosures..................................................................................................36 2.4. Grazing and herd management ............................................................................37 3. Lion management.........................................................................................................38 3.1. Non-lethal control................................................................................................38 3.1.1. Deterrent methods...................................................................................................................38 3.1.2. Translocation of lions..............................................................................................................39 3.1.3. Contraception..........................................................................................................................40 3 3.2. Lethal control.......................................................................................................40 3.2.1. Offtake by administrations......................................................................................................40 3.2.2. Offtake by populations, farmers and breeders.........................................................................41 3.2.3. Offtake by trophy hunters .......................................................................................................42 4. Environmental management ........................................................................................43 4.1. Increasing alternative prey...................................................................................43 4.2. Land use planning................................................................................................43 4.2.1. Planning and managing wildlife and village distribution........................................................43 4.2.2. Zoning around protected areas................................................................................................44 5. Conclusions and synthesis ...........................................................................................45 3 Decision framework.......................................................................................................47 1. Phase 1: Investigation..................................................................................................47 2. Phase 2: Problem analysis...........................................................................................47 3. Phase 3: Choice and implementation of management option .....................................48 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................51 Appendix 1. Some documented cases of lion predation on humans and livestock