Our most recent actions
(2021-2023)
At the beginning of 2021, the project was going through a challenging stage due to a lack of economic resources. In this context, the NGO Humane Society International, thanks to the efforts of Marina Ratchford, its representative in Argentina, and Adam Peyman, Director of Wildlife Programs, provided support. With this boost, new objectives were set. Analyzing the hundreds of records obtained between 2009 and 2020, the significant number of reports of pumas killed in retaliation for livestock attacks was concerning. This is why it was considered necessary to delve deeper into the human-puma conflict in the ecoregion.
Thus, between October 2021 and October 2022, eight campaigns were carried out in two subregions of the Pampas ecoregion, the Austral Pampas and the Interior Pampas, conducting over 200 interviews with producers who had suffered livestock losses attributed to puma predation. Thanks to this fieldwork, a comprehensive understanding of the attitudes and perceptions of producers regarding the puma was obtained. Additionally, conflict "hot spots" were identified, predation losses were estimated, and the most viable mitigation interventions were identified. A PowerPoint with preliminary data from this study was presented at the First International Coexistence Conference held in October 2022 in Montana, USA.
Starting from mid-2022 and thanks to the knowledge gained from interviews of livestock farmers, advisory material was developed (three PDFs, see in Publications) which were sent to all surveyed producers and also disseminated through networks. The material related to the use of the donkey as a protective animal had a striking impact.
There were also talks, such as the one given at the Annual Exhibition of the Argentine Rural Society in 2023, and participation in radio interviews.
En los últimos tres años fuimos actualizamos el mapa de distribución del puma en la provincia de Buenos Aires. De los 81 partidos con presencia en 2020 (ver Publications) en la actualidad se cuenta con reportes de pumas para 92 partidos.
At the end of 2022, we received the first "Foxlights" (disruptive deterrents for livestock attacks) from abroad and installed them for a one-year trial in two fields in Coronel Dorrego and one in southern Córdoba. After a year of the experiment, the results have been positive, with all three participating producers expressing high satisfaction.
Preliminary interviews results
Some of the attitudes of the producers
Non-lethal interventions adopted
From the conducted interviews, now we know that around 80% of the producers adopt one or more preventive measures to avoid attacks (about 20 measures have been collected). The most common ones include nightly enclosure of sheep, moving livestock to areas near houses, and the use of donkeys as protective animals. Specifically concerning these equids, there are significant regional variations in their use. In regions like the southeast of Córdoba, 50% of the producers who have experienced attacks employ them, whereas in the southeast of Buenos Aires (where they are deemed very necessary), less than 20%.
For this reason, the Puma de las Pampas Project is trying to further promote their use and investigate the reason or reasons why a percentage of ranchers who have used them have discarded them, considering them inefficient. The information obtained from the surveys seems to indicate that in these cases, the protective animal is not used correctly. Donkeys have some advantages in the Pampas when compared to the highly promoted Livestock Protection Dogs (LPDs – mainly Maremmano and Pyrenean Mastiff breeds). Certainly, dogs yield excellent results in fields exclusively dedicated to wool production, which are currently not very common in the Pampas. Most producers who experience losses in sheep herds have flocks generally smaller than 100 ewes and keep them only for consumption. According to what the producers have mentioned, in these cases, the expense of purchasing and the dedication these canines require are not justified, especially in a context where rural families have become a rarity. (that is why only 2% of ranchers in the Pampas use LPDs)
In order to promote success in the use of donkeys, we have elaborated and distributed a PDF with recommendations for their proper employment. This material has had an impact in the country and neighboring nations.
Lethal interventions
Many producers resort to killing pumas in retaliation for livestock attacks. On average, 60% admit to doing so (despite knowing it is illegal in the ecoregion). The most commonly used methods include pursuing them independently with the help of dogs and firearms, the use of trap cages (quite widespread), hiring hunters or authorizing them to hunt on their fields, and, to a lesser extent, the use of poisons and leg-hold traps.
Some of the perceptions
More than 80% of the producers who have experienced puma attacks on livestock in recent years perceive that puma populations are increasing, and on average (with regional variations), around 55% consider the species as a pest. Approximately 75% believe that pumas should be controlled (hunted) or directly eliminated from the region. A similar percentage considers the losses they suffer from the feline as very significant/significant.
Estimation of losses
From the interviews, it has been possible to make an estimate of losses in terms of the total number of animals, percentages of certain categories concerning the total stock, etc. Likewise, an economic estimate of losses due to predation has been carried out.
The trial with 'Foxlights' in corrals.
The first in the ecoregion.
In the search for other non-lethal conflict mitigation interventions, we learned about the "Foxlights" (disruptive repellents against attacks), and Humane Society International managed to provide us, in mid-2022, with eight units that were installed for free and experimentally in three fields suffering significant economic losses due to puma predation. As mentioned earlier, a year after installation, the results are promising, at least for preventing attacks on sheep in pens. Of course, no intervention is or will be a cure-all, and it is advisable to combine them based on the existing conflict determinants. In 2024, we will seek more producers interested in trying these lights. If any producer wishes to join the experience, we ask them to contact us.
Interviews with ranchers and their experiences with 'Foxlights":
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