Our study reveals the complexities of 🌱🤼‍♂️ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬. Our findings can help to develop strategies for coexistence between 🐮cattle ranching & 🐆jaguars in the study area, but also in new deforested areas!

Full paper here: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

It is clear! The 🤼‍♂️conflict is 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 by cattle predation, but seems 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 by 💡limited knowledge about carnivores!

To address this, future mitigation strategies need to focus on increasing people 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 towards jaguars! 🐆 #HWCC #Tolerance

😡Negative attitudes towards jaguars were NOT linked to❌predation on ranches. It’s all about ✅education! 🎓 People with higher educational background showed more tolerance towards carnivores and cattle predation🤝.

What does this imply? 🤔

Ranchers showed 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 🤯🔀. For example, 85 % of them considered protection of jaguars and pumas are necessary, and yet 42 % would be happier if jaguars disappeared from the area.

Forested areas 🌳🌳🌳 (within the ranch or proximity to National Parks) were key to explain predation on herds.

What does this mean? Cattle should 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 forested areas to reduce predation risk! 🐄⚠️ #CattleManagement #HWCC

[photo www.imasul.ms.gov.br/wp-content/u... ]

Can we predict predation on ranches? YES! Ranches with calves 🐮🍼 and large herds 🐮🐮🐮 face predation more often.

This matches how cattle industry works here! We need to 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 livestock management to coexist with carnivores!

[photo www.imasul.ms.gov.br/wp-content/u... ]

50 % of ranchers reported ☠️ illegal jaguar killings in response to cattle predation.

This poses a serious 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 to jaguar conservation in the region and underscores the urgent need to foster greater tolerance for large carnivores!😄👍

[photo www.imasul.ms.gov.br/wp-content/u... ]

Ranchers 👨‍🌾🐮 showed 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 to carnivore attacks (68 % would not accept to lose more than 5 heads of cattle per year). This is a very low number, considering that the size of the herd can reach 16,000 heads!

What we found? 🔍 Cattle predation was reported on ~70 % of the ranches 🐮. Yet, only 20 % of respondents identified (C) carnivores as the primary cause of cattle mortality! The top culprits? 🌱 (P) Toxic plant ingestion and 🐍 (S) Snake bites. #InternationalJaguarDay

Here, extensive cattle ranching is the main livestock activity. Free-ranging cattle is perceived by jaguars and pumas as potential preys, which can result in attacks. How people deal with it? We asked 129 ranch managers to find out! 👨‍🌾🐮💭

In the Amazon, deforestation is concentrated in the south, resulting in an arc-shaped region known as the “Arc of Deforestation”. This area is advancing northward, converting tropical forests into cattle pastures and crops🌳➡️🐄 [Map from @mapbiomas.bsky.social ] #Deforestation #Amazon

The jaguar (𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑎) is distributed through Central and South America. In South America, its range has shrunk by 14 % since 2015 [ www.catsg.org/index.php?id... ]

A major driver of this decline? Habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion. [Map from #UICNRedList]