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Advancing the Management of Carnivore Predation on Livestock in Western Canada

There is a need for greater engagement between government and interest groups in western Canada to develop innovative solutions to the continued conflict of livestock predation by carnivores. Currently, financial compensation for livestock losses and lethal control of carnivores are the most common tools for addressing livestock predation by carnivores in western Canada (Musiani & Paquet, 2004). Lethal control, however, fails to reduce conflict, as predation events continue (Musiani et al., 2005; Treves & Naughton-Treves, 2005). There is decreasing acceptance for lethal control of carnivores by the general public (Kellert, Black, Rush, & Bath, 1996; Treves & Naughton-Treves, 2005). Compensation programs have generally proven to be ineffective at reducing conflict in the long term because they fail to prevent future predation (Boitani, Ciucci, & Raganella-Pelliccioni, 2010) or address social factors related to livestock predation conflict (Dickman, 2010; Naughton-Treves, Grossberg, & Treves, 2003). Synthesized here are current opinions of representatives from government management agencies (GMAs) and livestock production organizations (LPOs) involved in livestock predation by carnivores in western Canada. The research objective was to collect GMA and LPO perceptions of the importance, effectiveness, and suggested improvements to management of livestock predation by carnivores in western Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four representatives from GMAs and six representatives from LPOs from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The interviewees included district-level managers from provincial fish and wildlife and agricultural GMAs that are mandated to address livestock predation by carnivores, as well as presidents, executive directors, and policy analysts from the provincial sheep and cattle LPOs. Interviews followed a guide that included questions on: (a) background information on interviewees and the GMA or LPO they represent; (b) importance of livestock predation to the GMA