Low-stress livestock handling protects cattle in a five-predator habitat

Given the ecological importance of top predators, societies are turning to non-lethal methods for coexistence. Coexistence is challenging when livestock graze within wild predator habitats. We report a randomized, controlled experiment to evaluate low -stress livestock handling (L-SLH), a form of range riding, to deter grizzly (brown) bears, gray wolves, cougars, black bears, and coyotes in Southwestern Alberta. The treatment condition was supervision by two newly hired and trained range riders and an experienced L-SLH-practicing range rider. This treatment was compared against a baseline pseudo-control condition of the experienced range rider working alone. Cattle experienced zero injuries or deaths in either condition. We infer that inexperienced range riders trained and supervised by an experienced rider did not raise or lower the risk to cattle. Also, predators did not shift to the cattle herds protected by fewer range riders. We found a correlation suggesting grizzly bears avoided herds visited more frequently by range riders practicing L-SLH. More research is required to compare different forms of range riding. However, pending experimental evaluation of other designs, we recommend use of L-SLH. We discuss the cobenefits of this husbandry method.

Automated summary

Given the ecological importance of top predators, societies are adopting non-lethal methods, such as low-stress livestock handling (L-SLH), for coexistence. A randomized controlled experiment in Southwestern Alberta evaluated the effectiveness of L-SLH in deterring grizzly bears, gray wolves, cougars, black bears, and coyotes. The study found that inexperienced range riders, trained and supervised by an experienced rider, did not increase or decrease the risk to cattle. Furthermore, predators did not shift to the cattle herds with fewer range riders, suggesting that L-SLH was effective in deterring predators.