Livestock and pets - Guarding Guarding



Herders

Three studies have evaluated the effect of herding practices and found them to reduce the predation risk in various settings. Herders reduced the severity of attacks from wolves on sheep in Greece, reduced predation risk from coyotes, pumas, and black bears on sheep in the United States, and a larger number of men present in a boma reduced predation by lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas in northern Kenya.

Referenced papers
Iliopoulos, Y., Sgardelis, S., Koutis, V. & Savaris, D. Wolf depredation on livestock in central Greece. Acta Theriologica. 54, 11-22 (2009).
The severity of wolf attacks on sheep was reduced in herds where herders were present.
Palmer, B. C., Conover, M. R. & Frey, S. N. Replication of a 1970s study on domestic sheep losses to predators on Utah’s summer rangelands. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63, 689-695 (2010).
Predation on free raning sheep by coyotes, pumas, and black bears was reduced in herds that were accompanied by herders.
Woodroffe, R., Frank, L. G., Lindsey, P. A., ole Ranah, S. M. K. & Romañach, S. Livestock husbandry as a tool for carnivore conservation in Africa’s community rangelands: a case-control study. Biodiversity Conservation. 16, 1245-1260 (2007).
An increased number of men present in the boma reduced the risk of attacks from lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas.