Disease, not wildlife, main threat to livestock: Study

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 25

Quite contrary to the notion that wild animals were preying on livestock in villages alongside wildlife areas, 65 per cent of the total livestock lost annually in the protected area of Askot Conservation Landscape in Uttarakhand was due to diseases, such as foot and mouth disease. Only 35 per cent of the livestock were killed in carnivore attack incidents.

Man-animal conflict continues to be a big challenge in a forest predominant state like Uttarakhand, where most marginal forest dwelling communities depend primarily on agriculture and livestock rearing for subsistence living.

Amrita Laha, while working with villagers of Askot Conservation Landscape, got to know that a majority 65 per cent of livestock were lost to diseases annually, whereas 35 per cent was lost due to wildlife predation. Even among those lost due to diseases, 75 per cent were lost to foot and mouth disease.

She is working as part of National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem. Amrita said crop depredation and livestock predation by wildlife were often identified as more overpowering in comparison to loss of the same due to environmental factors or disease.

A total of 40 Van Panchayats were surveyed and 500 interviews were conducted using an in-depth mixed questionnaire. Amongst varied socio-demographic aspects, different factors of crop and livestock loss were identified and assessed by Amrita.

She said there can be many factors of crop and livestock loss and predation by wildlife is just one amongst them. She, however, held that conservation managers needed to have a strategy to minimise even the existing wildlife loss by establishing synergies with other developmental agencies so as to mitigate potential human-wildlife conflict.