Large Carnivore-Livestock Conflict in Wakhan, Afghanistan

Wakhan National Park (WNP) in northeastern Afghanistan is among the areas where large carnivores such as the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the more common wolf (Canis lupus) conflict with local communities; they... [ view full abstract ]

Wakhan National Park (WNP) in northeastern Afghanistan is among the areas where large carnivores such as the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the more common wolf (Canis lupus) conflict with local communities; they attack livestock and experience retaliation from the impacted herders. As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society Afghanistan program, we conducted a questionnaire survey with herders living in WNP during summer 2016 to determine the kinds and amounts of livestock mortality experienced in the previous year. We interviewed 285 people in the 42 villages of the WNP and found that 36% of livestock had been lost due to disease, starvation and predation. Predators were responsible for 9.7% of all livestock mortality, whereas disease (45.5%) and starvation (44.7%) accounted for the remainder. Mortality due to starvation resulted, in part, from a cold snap with heavy snowfall that occurred in April, an event that may also have contributed to disease susceptibility. Wolves were responsible for 84% of perceived predation vs. 14% for snow leopards. Wolves preyed on all hoofed livestock species in Wakhan (sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, donkeys, horses, and camels), as well as guard dogs, whereas snow leopards only killed sheep, goat, cattle and yaks; they did not prey on horses and donkeys which use areas at lower altitudes and closer to villages. We also gathered respondents’ ideas on how to better protect their livestock and mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Most respondents (66%) suggested non-violent protection techniques (e.g., effective shepherding and building predator-proof corrals), whereas 10.5% of them suggested lethal control (e.g., shooting predators and poisoning livestock carcasses); the other 23.5% did not have any specific protection suggestions. Most of the respondents believed that predation was linked to insufficient protection schemes by shepherds, a ban on hunting, and an increase in the number of predators in the area, among other issues. A combination of our survey results with population ecology aspects of carnivores and their prey should lead to an improved conflict mitigation practices that is acceptable to Park residents and conservationists.