DOES RECREATIONAL HUNTING OF LYNX REDUCE DEPREDATION LOSSES OF DOMESTIC SHEEP?

Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) are responsible for significant depredation on domestic lambs in Norway. Recreational hunting of lynx is widely used to limit lynx population growth and to attempt to remove problem individuals. We analyzed the relationship between annual changes in lamb losses and lynx hun...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management Vol. 69; no. 3; pp. 1034 - 1042
Main Authors: HERFINDAL, IVAR, LINNELL, JOHN D. C., MOA, PÅL F., ODDEN, JOHN, AUSTMO, LARS B., ANDERSEN, REIDAR
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2005
The Wildlife Society
Subjects:
Animal husbandry
Carnivores
control
depredation
Domestic animals
Eurasian lynx
Forest habitats
Grazing
Hunting
Lambs
Livestock
livestock losses
Lynx
Lynx lynx
Population growth
Population size
Predation
predator-prey relationships
recreational hunting
Sheep
Sport hunting
Wildcats
wildlife management
wildlife-livestock relations
Norway
ISSN:0022-541X, 1937-2817
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) are responsible for significant depredation on domestic lambs in Norway. Recreational hunting of lynx is widely used to limit lynx population growth and to attempt to remove problem individuals. We analyzed the relationship between annual changes in lamb losses and lynx hunting on 2 scales. On the county scale, lamb losses were related to the size of the lynx population that was reduced through the harvest of 294 lynx by hunters during our study, 1995–2001. At the level of individual grazing areas, we documented a significant local effect of lynx harvest (n = 321 lynx); however, the magnitude of this benefit was so small (13 lambs per male lynx, or 2 lambs per female lynx) as to be of little practical benefit. The data indicate that lynx hunting only reduces depredation when it reduces the size of the population.
Bibliography:ArticleID:JWMG1596
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ark:/67375/WNG-9212JVDL-Q
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ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2193/0022-541X(2005)069[1034:DRHOLR]2.0.CO;2