Abstract
Livestock predation by carnivores drives global human-carnivore conflict. Non-lethal strategies like Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) prove effective, yet their interactions with biophysical factors (e.g., habitats) and ecological variables (e.g., carnivore/prey abundance) remain poorly understood. This study evaluated whether LGD presence reduces sheep predation by Lycalopex foxes and how LGDs interact with biophysical/ecological variables shaping predation risk patterns, using Chilean Patagonia ranches as a model system. Using 2017–2018 predation data, we identified key landscape and species variables influencing risk (vegetation composition, nearest distance to road/farmstead, fox/hare abundance, LGD presence) via logistic regression on kill and random points from five ranches (two with LGDs, three without). We analyzed 94 fresh sheep carcasses killed by foxes: 26 in LGD ranches (0.77 sheep/ha) vs. 68 without LGDs (1.34 sheep/ha). Fox predation was lower with LGDs (χ2 = 4.90, p = 0.026). Models showed negative shrubland cover association and LGD × bareland × hare abundance interactions. With LGDs, risk declined with bareland and hare abundance; without LGDs, risk was unrelated to bareland but increased sharply with hare abundance. Mean predation probability was 0.26 (± 0.001), peaking at 0.39 (± 0.07) without LGDs. By mitigating risk factors, LGDs enhance landscape safety for livestock, reduce economic losses and lethal mesocarnivores control, supporting carnivore conservation in livestock-dominated landscapes.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments: We thank Gregor Stipicic, Gabriela Simonetti-Grez, Peter Maclean, and Angel Violic for granting us access to their ranches to collect the data used in this research.
Funding
This work was funded by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, ANID (formerly Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, CONICYT): National Doctoral Fellowships 21200390 (to APYM) and 63140263 (to DAP); ANID/CONICYT Postdoctoral Fellowship 3160056 (to DMA); and partially supported by the FONDECYT regular project 1220424 (to JAS). This study is part of the Sustainable Livestock program of the Asociación Kauyeken.
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Yusti-Muñoz, A.P., Moreira-Arce, D., Peñaranda, D.A. et al. Livestock guardian dogs create safer landscapes for sheep by reducing fox predation risk attributes.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-56051-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-56051-1
Keywords
- Mesocarnivores
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Human-wildlife coexistence
- Wild prey
- Non-lethal methods
Source: Ecology - nature.com
