Livestock depredation across the trans-Himalaya causes significant economic losses to pastoralist communities. Quantification of livestock predation and the assessment of variables associated with depredation are crucial for designing effective long-term mitigation measures. We investigated the patterns and factors of livestock depredation by snow leopards (Panthera uncia) using semi-structured questionnaires targeting herders in the Narphu valley of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. During the two years (2017/18 and 2018/19), 73.9% of the households interviewed (n = 65) lost livestock to snow leopards, with an annual average loss of two livestock per household. Of the total depredation attributed to snow leopards, 55.4% were yak (mainly female: 79%), 31.7% goat, 6.8% sheep, 3.2% horse and 2.8% cattle. Results from applying Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) revealed the total number of livestock owned and the number of larger bodied livestock species as the main explanatory covariates explaining livestock depredation. Forty-one (41%) of all herders considered snow leopard’s preference for domestic livestock as the main factor in livestock predation, whereas only 5% perceived poor herding practice as the main reason for the loss. Our study found poor and changing herding practices in the valley, whereby 71% herders reported careful herding as a solution to snow leopard depredation, and 15% of herders considered the complete extermination of snow leopards as the best solution to the problem. Tolerance levels and awareness among herders towards snow leopard conservation is increasing, mainly due to the Buddhist religion and strict law enforcement within this protected area. We recommend the effective implementation of a community-based livestock insurance scheme to compensate the economic loss of herders due to predation and improved herding practices as the recommended mitigation measures for ensuring livestock security and snow leopards’ conservation in the valley.

中文翻译：

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哪些因素使跨喜马拉雅（尼泊尔中部）的家庭容易遭受雪豹的家畜捕食？

跨喜马拉雅山脉的牲畜掠夺给牧民社区造成了巨大的经济损失。牲畜捕食的量化和与捕食有关的变量的评估对于设计有效的长期缓解措施至关重要。我们使用针对尼泊尔安纳布尔纳河自然保护区纳尔普河谷牧民的半结构化问卷调查了雪豹（Panthera uncia）掠夺牲畜的模式和因素。在这两年（2017/18和2018/19）中，有73.9％的受访家庭（n= 65）因雪豹而损失的牲畜，平均每户每年损失两只牲畜。在所有归因于雪豹的掠夺中，牛占55.4％（主要是雌性：79％），山羊为31.7％，山羊为6.8％，马为3.2％，牛为2.8％。应用广义线性混合模型（GLMM）得出的结果表明，拥有的牲畜总数和较大的牲畜体物种数量是解释牲畜折旧的主要解释协变量。在所有牧民中，有41个（41％）认为雪豹对家畜的偏爱是造成牲畜捕食的主要因素，而只有5％的人认为放牧方式不佳是造成损失的主要原因。我们的研究发现该山谷的放牧方式恶劣且不断变化，据此71％的放牧者报告了谨慎的放牧方法，以解决雪豹的掠夺问题，15％的牧民认为彻底消灭雪豹是解决该问题的最佳方法。牧民对雪豹的宽容程度和意识正在提高，这主要是由于该保护区内的佛教徒和严格的执法措施。我们建议有效实施基于社区的牲畜保险计划，以补偿因捕食和改良的放牧方式造成的牧民经济损失，以此作为确保山谷中牲畜安全和雪豹保护的建议缓解措施。主要是由于佛教徒信仰和该保护区内的严格执法。我们建议有效实施基于社区的牲畜保险计划，以补偿因捕食和改良的牧民造成的牧民经济损失，以此作为确保山谷中牲畜安全和雪豹保护的建议缓解措施。主要是由于佛教徒信仰和该保护区内的严格执法。我们建议有效实施基于社区的牲畜保险计划，以补偿因捕食和改良的牧民造成的牧民经济损失，以此作为确保山谷中牲畜安全和雪豹保护的建议缓解措施。