The effect of removing lynx in reducing attacks on sheep in the French Jura Mountains Original Research Article

The selective removal of carnivores from local areas is sometimes proposed to reduce the number of attacks on livestock. For the lynx, neither the existence of problem individuals nor the efficacy of their selective removal has been demonstrated. In France, from 1989 to 1999, eight lynx and two large carnivores thought to be lynx were legally removed from high conflict areas by trapping (n=7), shooting (n=1) or poisoning with toxic collars on sheep (n=2). The efficacy of the 10 removals was assessed on the farms where a lynx was caught and in the 5-km-radius areas encompassing both these farms and nearby sheep farms. The sex-ratio of captured lynx was seven males:one female. On four farms and in six 5-km-radius areas lynx attacks on sheep reappeared within 40 days after lynx removal, but we observed a significant decrease in the overall number of attacks. In the medium-term (48–365 days), the number of attacks decreased on two farms and in four 5-km radius areas when compared with the number observed in control plots >10 km away from the removal sites. In the long-term, attacks reappeared on the same sites, indicating a “site” effect. In such situations, selective removals may only temporarly reduce the problem of concentrated lynx damage. The only way to obtain a durable effect is to improve shepherding techniques.