Flashing lights placed around livestock herds are intended to provide a disruptive stimulus for nocturnal carnivores, causing deterrence through visual disturbance or neophobia. The light deterrent Foxlight ® has been evaluated in three different studies. In India (Naha et al. 2020), leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on livestock was 48 % lower in villages where the light deterrent was used. A study from Chile (Ohrens et al. 2019), found that Puma (Puma concolor) predation on camelids completely diminished in herds protected by Foxlight ® while still occurring at low levels in the control. Finally, in a study from the U.S. (Volski et al. 2021), a 14 % lower detection rates of coyotes (Canis latrans) were observed in pastures where Foxlight ® were used, in comparison to unprotected pastures. The potential effect of light deterrents may differ between carnivore species. A study from Kenya (Wanjira et al. 2021) observed that homesteads with flashing lights intended to prevent carnivore predation on goats, had 42 % fewer visits from spotted hyena (Crocuta Crocuta) and 28 % fewer visits from black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) than did homesteads without flashing lights. However, homesteads with flashing lights had 67 % more visits from striped hyena (Hyena hyena). The relative risk of successful attacks from either carnivore species per visit was not different in homesteads with or without flashing lights (RR = 1.06).
