Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LAND TENURE SYSTEM, MOUNTAIN LION
PROTECTION STATUS, AND LIVESTOCK DEPREDATION RATE
MARCELO MAZZOLLI, Projeto Puma - R. Liberato Carioni 24, Lagoa, 88062-005,
Florianópolis – SC, Brazil, email: marcelo_puma@yahoo.com
Abstract: Mountain lion depredation impact on managed livestock in ranching-dominated
landscapes was compared with depredation in forestry-dominated landscapes. In forestrydominated
landscapes, twenty-one depredation incidents were recorded at three ranches,
resulting in the loss of 58 sheep and goat. An additional 11 head were killed during an unknown
number of attacks. These losses amounted to 14 to 60 percent of total stock per year (in number
of animals). Confining or corralling flocks during the night at first provoked a reduction of
livestock depredation, but subsequently depredation begun to occur during daylight. In the
ranching-dominated landscape, on the other hand, depredation losses were not reported on flocks
corralled during the night, but reached 85% of the total stock when free-ranging. I hypothesize,
based on field data and on available information in literature, that mountain lion depredation in
forestry areas during the day and higher depredation on corralled livestock during the night may
result from lower hunting pressure on mountain lions than in ranching areas. Understanding
mountain lion predation behavior may help to modify livestock husbandry, allowing wildlife
managers and ranchers to minimize depredation without direct persecution of mountain lions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP
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