Posted on October 7, 2016 Categories: IssuesComments are off for this post
An increase in poaching causes a decrease in the apex predators’ natural prey which, in turn, causes these predators to target domestic livestock.
An increased loss of livestock to predation causes herders to “hedge their bets” and keep more livestock than the land can naturally handle.
An increased die-off from Winter Dzuds provides easy prey for the Apex Predators. As they scavenge on dead livestock, they are more likely to target live domestic livestock more intently.
Larger herds that move less often are a more vulnerable target with a higher successful kill rate by predators
Increased losses to predators causes more retribution killings, often carried out by trapping and poisoning
Large scale trapping and poisoning leads to indiscriminate killing of other animals leading to ecological imbalances.
Large goat herds reduce the carrying capacity of the grasslands as a whole. Other types of livestock (sheep, yak, camels, horses) do not disproportionally reduce carrying capacity. Predators are forced to prey on goats since they are plentiful and their very presence lowers populations of all other grazers, wild or domestic.
