Wild Conservation – A Houston Zoo Blog

Livestock movement through the national forest has served to familiarize predators to new prey opportunities.  Bells that are placed on livestock for the purpose of locating them also alert predators that food is in the area.  Some predators that prefer to hunt at night have learned to follow these animals home only to threaten them once they are secured in the corral for the night.  Unthrifty animals which are experiencing some level of disease, some structural problem, physical injury, or giving birth are likely to not remain with the group thus singling themselves out and creating an ideal opportunity for the predator to act instinctually. 
As the culture rises from the economic struggles of recent years, a greater portion of the community are actually able to find employment.  When cultural shifts occur that result in greater levels of disposable income the people of that culture have a tendency to move away from agriculture.  Herders who were once respected and admired were also the livestock owners.  Now, ownership is likely to be by individuals with outside employment and the herding duties have been passed on to children or whatever adults are available and who will work for very low wages.  These herders are not as concerned as if the animals were actually their own.  Because of this, some livestock does get left behind in the forest, some are caught in snares, and some become unthrifty for extended periods before their problems are addressed.  All of these situations can result in an increased likelihood for predation.

Naturally, when predation occurs, the predator is the blame.  In reality, poor management is the most often the culprit and the predator is simply being opportunistic and instinctual.  Unfortunately, when animals are kept as a form of status or simply as a bank account, minimal management seems to be the norm.  This concept holds true even in developed countries.  There are two scenarios which by improved livestock management practices are adopted.  One of these is when livestock ownership is viewed as a business.  In this case you will find record keeping, selection, and culling to complement the improved animal husbandry.  The other case is when successful herding improves ones social status such as the case with the Maasai people of East Africa.
Many efforts have been made to identify challenges for the subsistence farmers and a variety of resources have been utilized in attempting to transition those farmers into more sustainable practices.  For the most part, these efforts are destined to fail because the problems are identified by people from outside of the targeted area.  Imagine if a stranger from a strange land visited you in your home and told you that what you are doing is wrong and you should change your daily life to adopt some new idea.  You are likely to agree while resources are being passed about but once the handouts stop you will quickly return to your familiar ways.  It is a comfort zone aspect that most people do not realize.  Like a horse that returns to a burning barn, people will revert back to their habits unless the desire to change lies within themselves.

Improvements with animal husbandry take extended periods of time before advantages are realized.  Initially you have the production cycle which spans the variety of seasons.  You also have the generational interval.  In the case of cattle from these more traditional parts of the world, the cattle generational interval can span eight years.  If the average age of puberty for female cattle is 36 months and the range can be 48 months, it might be as long as 12 years before a heifer calf born under a new management approach is grown, reproduces a female offspring, and the heifer calf reaches reproductive age herself.  This is a long time to wait and see if a foreign concept is worthwhile.  Most likely, the ideas will be abandoned long before any change can impact the business model.
A novel idea for addressing the wildlife/human/livestock conflict that exists proximal to the Sikumi Forest outside of Hwenge National Park is to develop a social status associated with successful herding and improved animal husbandry.  Creating status among a community can be almost immediate.  Providing recognition among peers for quality work identifies individuals as role models that others may aspire towards.  In addition, recognition among peers can create an atmosphere of friendly competition.  An award system that targets vanity and modernization such as an iPod or a laptop computer will appeal to the majority of individuals. 
Other efforts such as providing a hat or item of clothing which identifies individuals as being members of a social organization such as a cattlemen’s association is an opportunity for recruitment.  Once recruited, the individuals form a captive audience that has some willingness to address change and entertain new ideas.  Once the captive audience has been created, the direction and prioritization can and should be established from a governing body that was developed within the group.  This association can then entertain a variety of presentations from local conservation groups so that a more symbiotic relationship can exist with wildlife.  This association can also establish a relationship with anti-poaching units and create a greater conservation presence. 

John with local kids

From a business perspective, the organized livestock owners will have purchasing power due to the quantity of use that they represent.  This purchasing power can be applied towards vaccinations, antibiotics, pest control, animal identification materials, etc.  Another business aspect is through improved marketing potential associated with the volume of livestock that the group represents.
There are no easy answers.  People will need to want change before any change can be made.  Ideas that are new will need to be introduced to the community.  This introduction will need to be enthusiastic and have a leadership presence.  Once introduced, all ideas must be flexible enough to adapt to the local culture.  Regardless of the potential benefit, the livestock owners themselves must believe and commit to the ideas if the potential is to be realized.