Jaguar and Puma Predation on Cattle Calves in Northeastern Sonora,Mexico |
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| Institution: | 1. Research Wildlife Biologist, Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus San Luis Potosi, Iturbide No. 73, Salinas de Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Mexico C.P. 78600;2. Research Wildlife Biologist, United States Geological Survey, New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Departments of Fishery and Wildlife Sciences and Animal and Range Sciences, New Mexico State University, PO Box 30003, MSC 4901, Las Cruces, NM 88003-0003, USA;3. Department Head and Professor, Department of Fishery and Wildlife Sciences, PO Box 30003, MSC 4901, Las Cruces, NM 88003-0003, USA;1. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, SP, Brazil;2. Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA;3. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil;4. Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil;5. Estação Ecológica Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, MT, Brazil;6. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil;7. Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA) and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina;8. IPÊ – Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, SP, Brazil;9. Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação, Instituto de Biociências, Univesidade Estadual de São Paulo, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil;10. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil;11. Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, AM, Brazil;12. Instituto de Defesa e Preservação dos Felídeos Brasileiros, Corumbá de Goiás, Go, Brazil;13. Projeto Carnívoros do Iguaçu, Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Foz do Iguaçu, PR, Brazil;14. Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, Foz do Iguaçu, PR, Brazil;15. Associação Onçafari, São Paulo, SP, Brazil;p. Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, SC, Brazil;q. Faculdade de Medicina veterinária e Zooctecnia, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil;r. Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, CO, USA |
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| Abstract: | Predation by jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) is often a source of conflict with cattle ranching in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Because jaguars are endangered in Mexico, such conflicts have biological, social, and economic consequences. We documented the extent of predation by jaguars and pumas on cattle in 1999–2004 in northeastern Sonora, where the northernmost breeding population of jaguars exists in North America. Jaguars and pumas killed only calves < 12 mo old, and calves constituted 58% of prey biomass consumed by jaguars and 9% by pumas. Annual cause-specific mortality rates of confirmed jaguar predation (≤ 0.018), confirmed and suspected jaguar predation (≤ 0.018), and all confirmed and suspected large felid predation (≤ 0.018) were low and cattle calf survival was high (0.89–0.98 annually). If calves reported as missing but for which no evidence of mortality could be found were classed as large felid predation, annual cause-specific rates increased to 0.006–0.038. Collectively, confirmed jaguar and puma predation accounted for < 14% (57/408) of total cattle losses, with jaguars responsible for 14% of all calf losses; this could increase to a maximum of 36% (146/408) if missing calves were included in the totals. While jaguar and puma predation may have an impact on some small cattle operations, it is generally minor compared to losses from other causes in northeastern Sonora. Moreover, 91% of all confirmed calf kills were associated with three individual jaguars in our study. Targeting problem cats rather than broad-scale predator control may therefore be a viable alternative to address chronic predation problems. Because most (83%) instances of jaguar predation occurred during the dry season along thick riparian habitats, modified cattle husbandry operations, such as establishment of permanent water sources in uplands and away from dense vegetative cover, could ameliorate many cases of predation by jaguars on cattle. |
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