Pumas and livestock guarding dog interactions: a case study from an area of human–carnivore conflict in central Argentina

Abstract

In central Argentina there is intense conflict between productive livestock activities and wild carnivores, particularly the puma Puma concolor. Livestock guarding dogs are one of the most effective non-lethal tools for reducing predation on livestock, and their use has increased globally, and in this area recently. Using  years (–) of camera-trap data, we analysed the daily activity patterns of pumas and a guarding dog, identified the major factors affecting puma habitat use, and examined puma–dog interactions in a human-dominated landscape in central Argentina. In a total sampling effort of , trap-days, we recorded  events of pumas and  of the dog. Pumas had a nocturnal activity pattern, whereas the guarding dog was mostly diurnal, with activity peaks in the early morning and afternoon. The intensity of habitat use by pumas increased with the proportion of scrubland cover and the distance from points where human activity was the greatest but was not affected by the presence of the dog. We found that the interactions between pumas and the guarding dog were infrequent and limited in space, and some evidence that pumas may avoid the presence of the dog. This exploration of puma–livestock guarding dog interactions contributes to knowledge of how guarding dogs work as a non-lethal measure to mitigate human–carnivore conflicts and what their effects are on wildlife in a modified rural landscape where ranching is the main economic activity.