Local perceptions of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) in the Iguaçu National Park area, south Brazil

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Abstract

Jaguars (Panthera onca) have been killed by local residents within the boundaries and lands surrounding Iguaçu National Park (INP), Brazil. Both jaguars and pumas (Puma concolor) occur in the region, however, livestock predation by pumas has rarely been reported. Our objective was to assess the local perceptions about jaguars and pumas. We identified two major factors that distinguished the perceptions towards the two species: less people feared the puma than the jaguar; and most people believed that jaguars, but not pumas, were released into INP by local authorities. Interestingly, despite those major differences in these perceptions, feelings towards the two species tended to be the same. Perceptions towards jaguars were not influenced by the predation history of the properties, suggesting that the predation impact was not remarkable enough to influence local perceptions towards carnivores. This is apparently the first study on local perceptions towards large carnivores in Brazil.

Introduction

The native forest in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil, which once covered almost the entire state, has been dramatically reduced to only about 6%, with 80% of such forest occurring within the boundaries of Iguaçu National Park (INP). The Park is surrounded by private lands, on which the main activities are crop farming and livestock ranching. Intense fragmentation of habitats in the region and the lack of a buffer zone between INP and the surrounding rural properties generate an “island-effect” that isolates the Park from other significant patches of forest. INP houses the last significant population of jaguars (Panthera onca) in south Brazil (Crawshaw, 1995), Paraná state. The puma (Puma concolor) is one of five other species of wild cats also known to occur in the INP (Crawshaw, 1995).

The close proximity of farmlands to INP has been one of the factors contributing to human–wildlife conflicts in the area. Wild carnivores, mainly jaguars, have been responsible for livestock losses in the region. Between 1995 and 1997, local residents reported that about 30 adult jaguars were killed illegally within the boundaries of the Park, mostly in retaliation for livestock predation (Azevedo and Conforti, 1999). Although rare, livestock predation by pumas also has been reported at INP (Azevedo and Conforti, 1999). Furthermore, the apparent local disappearance of the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), possibly due to overpoaching, coincides with a notable increase of predation on domestic animals in INP (Conforti and Azevedo, 1997). One could speculate that the decrease of the white-lipped peccary population might have affected the jaguars' diet in INP given that peccaries were found to be the most preferred prey taken by jaguars (Crawshaw, 1995).

Neotropical cats, mostly jaguars, have been reported to kill livestock in places where they occur in close contact (Shaller and Crawshaw, 1980, Rabinowitz, 1986, Mobdolfi and Hoogesteijn, 1986). However, the attitudes of local people towards the predation problem are poorly understood. Human attitudes towards carnivores tend to be shaped by understanding and knowledge of a particular species, as well as by past and present interactions with that species (Kellert et al., 1996). Where large carnivores prey upon livestock, local people often hold negative attitudes, as reported for snow leopards (Panthera uncia) by Oli et al. (1994) and wolves (Canis lupus) by Lenihan (1996). To assess the perceptions towards large cats, surveys of local people have been used as tools to gather information about human-cat interactions (Oli et al., 1994). Such studies also have been used as a basis for long-term strategies for conserving large cats and their habitats (Nyhus et al., 1999).

Our objective was to assess local perceptions towards jaguars and pumas and to collect information on suggestions for solving the livestock predation problem. Due to reported livestock losses by wild carnivores at INP, we hypothesized that the rural population residing throughout the boundaries of INP held negative perceptions towards jaguars and pumas. We also predicted that this population was not aware of the ecological role of carnivores and held a negative attitude towards these species in the event of predation incidents.

Section snippets

Study area

Iguaçu National Park covers 185,262 ha of subtropical forest. It is located in the southwest of Paraná state, in the south of Brazil (25°05′S–25°41′S, 53°40′W–54°38′W) along the international boundary between Brazil and Argentina. Together, INP and Parque Nacional Iguazú, across the border, in Argentina, preserve a total of about 240,000 ha of subtropical forest separated by the Iguaçu River. The proximity to the Argentinean park reduces the “island-effect” in INP, since individuals of some

Results

Most respondents, 78.08% (CI: 64.63–87.58%), were European descendents (i.e. children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of European immigrants). Of the 72 households interviewed, 63 were men and 9 were women. The average age of the respondents was 45.86±15.32 years (range: 23–76, n=72). The average property size was 2.58±3.87 km2 (range: 0.03–15.31 km2, n=61). Eleven households did not report the size of their properties. Livestock holding averaged 278.30±385.27 heads per property (range:

Discussion

Wild carnivores commonly generate negative attitudes among rural residents in many regions of the world where they prey upon domestic animals (Oli, 1994, Oli et al., 1994, Mech, 1995, Lenihan, 1996). Besides generating negative attitudes, predators such as jaguars and pumas are blamed for monetary losses due to depredation on livestock (Crawshaw, 1995, Dalponte, in press, Mazzolli et al., 2002, Saenz and Carrilo, in press).

Oli et al. (1994) reported that most local residents living in or

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Madan Oli, Dennis Murray, Chris Williams and Jocelyn Aycrigg for helpful comments on this paper. We also thank the support provided by local people surrounding Iguaçu National Park who participated with this project. We are also grateful to the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), IBAMA's National Center for the Conservation of Predators (CENAP) and Iguaçu National Park for their support and permission to work in the Park. We

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    Present address: Holm Research Center, PO Box 442201, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2201, USA.

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