IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Jacobs, C.; Main, M. | |
| Florida panther recovery: livestock depredation, predation risk maps, and new approaches to compensation programs | |
| 2014 Conference Proceeding | |
Calf depredation by the federally endangered Florida panther (_Puma concolor coryi_) on ranches in southwest Florida is an important issue because ranches provide habitat critical to panther recovery. As the panther population increases, conflict between ranchers and panthers will likely increase as well. To better understand this conflict, the goals of this study were to quantify calf depredation by panthers on two ranches in southwest Florida, identify factors that influence predation risk, and develop predation risk maps to inform management decisions. To monitor calf loss we ear tagged 40 calves with VHF transmitters on two ranches during 2011-2013. We evaluated calf mortalities for cause of death and placed camera traps at cache sites to identify individual panthers. We used ArcGIS and Fragstats to quantify landscape variables around each kill site and for each ranch. We developed predation risk maps with MaxEnt using landscape variables and panther GPS data. Calf depredation by panthers varied between ranches, with an average calf loss to panthers of 5.3%/ year on Ranch A and 0.5% /year on Ranch B. Panthers killed calves ranging from <1 week old and <25 kg to >8 months old and >150 kg. Camera trap data revealed that panthers of different ages and sexes killed calves and that some panthers made multiple kills. Landscape analysis indicated that Ranch A contained a greater percentage and patch density of upland forest, greater connectivity between forest patches, greater edge density, and smaller patches of improved pasture than Ranch B. These results suggest that the landscape on Ranch A may provide a more optimal hunting environment for panthers. MaxEnt results suggest that predation risk maps can inform conflict mitigation strategies and potentially help to structure compensation programs that are based on landscape features rather than on verified kills. |
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