Livestock loss caused by predators outside the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Human-carnivore conflict is a serious management issue often causing opposition towards conservation efforts. In a survey of 481 households in seven different villages outside the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, 67.4% of respondents owned livestock and 27.4% of all the households surveyed reported losses of a total of 4.5% of their livestock to wild predators over 12 months. This loss equated to an average annual financial loss of 19.2% (US $26.8) of their cash income. Livestock depredation was reported to be caused most often by spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) (97.7%), leopard (Panthera pardus) (1.6%), baboon (Papio cynocephalus) (0.4%), lion (Panthera leo) (0.1%) and lastly black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) (0.1%). Total reported losses during 2003 amounted to US $12,846 of which spotted hyena kills were reported to account for 98.2%. The mean annual livestock loss per household (of those that reported loss) was 5.3 head of stock, which represents more than two-thirds of the local average annual cash income. Depredation by large felids occurred only in a narrow zone along the protected area (<3 km), whereas spotted hyenas killed livestock even in households located far away (>30 km). Tolerance of livestock depredation among the respondents was low. Logistic regression models indicated that education improved tolerance, while for livestock owners higher depredation rates was linked to approval of lethal retaliation and effective protection measures was associated with a reduced desire of retaliation. We recommend that further research should identify the precise causes of livestock loss and which protection measures that can reduce depredation.     

Evaluation of a compensation scheme to bring about pastoralist tolerance of lions

Lions (Panthera leo) are in decline throughout most of their range due to human persecution, largely provoked by depredation on livestock, and there is debate as to the usefulness of financial instruments to mitigate this conflict. Intending to reduce local lion-killing, the Mbirikani Predator Compensation Fund compensates members of Mbirikani Group Ranch for livestock depredation at a flat rate (close to average market value), after the kill has been verified and with penalties imposed for poor husbandry. Despite penalizing claimants, 55% of claims arose because livestock were lost in the bush. Between 1st April 2003 and 31st December 2006, 754 cattle, 80 donkeys and 1844 sheep/goats were killed (2.31% of the total livestock herd each year). Forty-three percent of kills were ascribed to spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta); leopards (Panthera pardus) and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) were blamed for 37% of cases, lions 7%, jackals (Canis mesomelas) 7% and buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and elephants (Loxodonta africana) together 6%. Significantly more attacks took place during months of lower rainfall but the rate of attacks was not related to the density of livestock on the ranch, or the ratio of wild herbivores to domestic stock. There was no correlation between local market prices and the number of claims per month. Despite compensation, at least one lion per year was killed in 2004, 2005 and 2006. We describe some features of large carnivore depredation in the study area and suggest that regional recovery of the lion population may require compensation on a wider scale.     

The impact of trophy hunting on lions (Panthera leo) and other large carnivores in the Bénoué Complex, northern Cameroon

In West and Central Africa large carnivores have become increasingly rare as a consequence of rapid habitat destruction and lack of resources for protected area management. The Bénoué Complex (23,394 km²) in northern Cameroon is a regionally critical area for large mammal conservation. In the complex lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are formally protected in three national parks and 28 hunting zones. Over-hunting may be having a strong additive effect precipitating declines in large carnivore numbers across the complex. We used a coarse level track index method to estimate the relative abundance of these three species both in hunting zones and national parks. The results were interpreted with respect to ungulate abundance, and hunting impact. There was no significant difference between the densities of medium to larger species of ungulates in the hunting zones and the national parks, and no difference in leopard and spotted hyena densities in the respective areas. However, lions occurred at significantly lower densities in the hunting zones, and even in the national parks occurred at significantly lower densities than prey biomass would predict.     

Livestock predation by endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in northern Kenya

Most large mammalian carnivores are in global decline, principally due to conflict with livestock farmers. Because endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) range widely, often beyond the boundaries of protected areas, they may be particularly exposed to lethal control by farmers, even where nominally protected by reserves. Hence, effectively conserving wild dogs demands resolution of their conflicts with farmers. We investigated livestock depredation by African wild dogs living outside protected areas in northern Kenya. Scat analysis confirmed the distribution of depredation events reported by local farmers, indicating that farmer reports - collated by local Community Liaison Officers - gave a reasonably good index of the true pattern of depredation. Although livestock were abundant throughout the study area, depredation was exceedingly uncommon (approximately one attack per 1000 km² per year) and the costs of tolerating wild dogs were very low (US $3.40/wilddog/year) where wild prey remained, even at low densities. However, where wild prey were seriously depleted, wild dogs killed livestock repeatedly, and the cost of sustaining them rose to US $389/wilddog/year. Hence, although wild dogs had a negligible economic impact in the region, their impact was locally severe. Conservation activities for wild dogs are most likely to be successful if targeted at areas where wild prey remain, and where traditional herding practices have been retained.     

Livestock predation by carnivores in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan

Villages in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, central Bhutan, report livestock depredation by wild carnivores including leopard (Panthera pardus), tiger (Panthera tigris), Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibettanus), and dhole (Cuon alpinus). In a survey of 274 households in six different geogs (sub-districts) within the park, 21.2% of households surveyed reported losses of a total of 2.3% of their domestic animals to wild predators over 12 months. This loss equated to an average annual financial loss equal to 17% (US$ 44.72) of their total per-capita cash income. Total reported losses during 2000 amounted to US$ 12,252, of which leopard and tiger kills accounted for 82% (US$ 10,047). Annual mean livestock loss per household (of those that reported loss) was 1.29 head of stock, equating to more than two-thirds of their annual cash income of $250. Lax herding, inadequate guarding practices, and overgrazing may have contributed to livestock losses. Approximately 60% of the households lacked proper stables for corralling their livestock at night and there was a significant correlation between the number of livestock lost and the distance between the household and the grazing pasture. Overall, reported predation rates have increased since the inception of the park in 1993 and since implementation of the Forest and Nature Conservation Act in 1995, which prioritises some of Bhutan’s key livestock predators for conservation. We propose livestock intensification programmes, including pasture improvement, and financial compensation as short-term measures to reduce conflict between people and predators. In the long-term, we recommend that the feasibility of an insurance scheme should be tested, the possibility of relaxing the resource use restrictions in the Forest and Nature Conservation Act of 1995 be explored, and that farmers should be involved in managing human-wildlife conflicts - particularly through improving their own herding and guarding practices, and building proper corralling facilities and adopting reliable corralling procedures.     

Human-wildlife conflict in the Kingdom of Bhutan: Patterns of livestock predation by large mammalian carnivores

We examined predation activity throughout Bhutan by tiger (Panthera tigris), common leopard (Panthera pardus), snow leopard (Uncia uncia) and Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus) on a variety of livestock types using data gathered over the first two years (2003-2005) of a compensation scheme for livestock losses. One thousand three hundred and seventy five kills were documented, with leopards killing significantly more livestock (70% of all kills), than tigers (19%), bears (8%) and snow leopards (2%). About 50% of livestock killing were of cattle, and about 33% were of horses, with tigers, leopards and snow leopards killing a significantly greater proportion of horses than predicted from availability. Examination of cattle kills showed that leopards killed a significantly greater proportion of smaller prey (e.g., calves), whereas tigers killed a significantly greater proportion of larger prey (e.g., bulls). Overall, livestock predation was greatest in summer and autumn which corresponded with a peak in cropping agriculture; livestock are turned out to pasture and forest during the cropping season, and subsequently, are less well guarded than at other times. Across Bhutan, high horse density and low cattle and yak density were associated with high rates of livestock attack, but no relationship was found with forest cover or human population density. Several northern districts were identified as ‘predation hotspots’, where proportions of livestock lost to predation were considerable, and the ratio of reported kills to relative abundance of livestock was high. Implications of our findings for mitigating livestock losses and for conserving large carnivores in Bhutan are discussed.     

Mountain lion depredation in southern Brazil

Mountain lion (Puma concolor) depredation incidents on livestock herds were recorded at 15 ranches in southern Brazil from 1993 to 1995. Maximum losses to mountain lions were 78% for goats, 84% for sheep, and 16% for cattle. Cattle mortality arising from causes other than depredation assumed a greater importance in herd productivity. In contrast, attacks on sheep and goats were more frequent than losses to other causes, but could be reduced to acceptable levels when flocks were corralled at night. Most depredation incidents occurred when weather and light conditions were unfavorable to human activity. We explain these patterns and inter-ranch variation in depredation rates on the basis of a risk-avoidance strategy by the mountain lions. Stock losses can be minimized by understanding these patterns and by applying appropriate herd husbandry, thus reducing the urge to persecute this protected species.     

Lions and Warriors: Social factors underlying declining African lion populations and the effect of incentive-based management in Kenya

African lion (Panthera leo) populations are in decline throughout most of Africa, but the problem is particularly acute in southern Kenya, where Maasai people are spearing and poisoning lions at a rate that will ensure near term local extinction. Lion killing is shaped by Maasai perception of livestock depredation, socio-economic factors, and the complex relationship between Maasai and conservation. These all affect tolerance for lions and consequently Maasai behavior towards conservation initiatives and carnivores in general. We used an in-depth quantitative questionnaire and participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) to identify the social and ecological predictors of lion killing and to investigate the effect of a compensation scheme on individual tolerance. Individuals who lose a greater proportion of their livestock to predators relative to their overall livestock loss, those affiliated with an evangelical church, and those who mainly sell rather than accumulate livestock all reported a higher propensity to kill carnivores. The future of carnivore conservation in this region depends on a better understanding of the nuances of human–carnivore conflict and a concerted effort to address appropriate cultural and community-level institutions, chiefly by providing economic benefits to local people who engage in positive conservation activities.     

Conflicts between Amur (Siberian) tigers and humans in the Russian Far East

In 1999, the Russian Federation created a Tiger Response Team (TRT) to investigate and intervene in human–tiger conflicts. We examined data collected on human-Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) conflicts from January 2000 through February 2009 to: (1) summarize and characterize human–tiger conflicts in the area, (2) examine causes of human–tiger conflicts, and (3) attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the TRT. The team investigated 202 conflicts. Both attacks on humans and depredations were greatest in winter (X² = 9, df = 3, P = 0.03 and X² = 64, df = 3, P < 0.001, respectively). Tiger depredation on domestic animals was the most common type of conflict reported (57%), followed by tigers near human habitations (22%), miscellaneous conflicts (12%), and attacks on humans (9%). Dogs were killed more commonly than other domestic animals (63% of 254 animals), likely because livestock were well managed. Nineteen attacks on humans were recorded resulting in 11 injuries and 2 deaths. Nearly four tigers per year (n = 32 tigers) died, were killed, or were removed from the wild, and all but 1 of 20 tigers killed or removed from the wild by the TRT were considered unfit to survive in the wild. Attacks on humans (n = 19) were most often (77%) by wounded tigers (80% of injuries were human-caused) and commonly provoked (47% of attacks). The effectiveness of interventions focused on reducing depredation on domestic animals was unclear, but data suggested that removal of injured and other unhealthy tigers from the wild by the Tiger Response Team resulted in fewer human deaths. Our recommendations include that the TRT continues to work to reduce conflict by rapidly removing debilitated tigers from the wild, explores different methods and technologies for reducing depredation on domestic animals, and increases their efforts to maintain tigers in the wild through telemetry monitoring, translocation, and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs. Further, standardized data should be collected to evaluate all interventions, with information from evaluation guiding an adaptive management component of their human–tiger conflict mitigation activities. This process should occur across tiger landscapes in Asia to allow rapid assessment of interventions.     

Local perceptions of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) in the Iguaçu National Park area, south Brazil

Jaguars (Panthera onca) have been killed by local residents within the boundaries and lands surrounding Iguaçu National Park (INP), Brazil. Both jaguars and pumas (Puma concolor) occur in the region, however, livestock predation by pumas has rarely been reported. Our objective was to assess the local perceptions about jaguars and pumas. We identified two major factors that distinguished the perceptions towards the two species: less people feared the puma than the jaguar; and most people believed that jaguars, but not pumas, were released into INP by local authorities. Interestingly, despite those major differences in these perceptions, feelings towards the two species tended to be the same. Perceptions towards jaguars were not influenced by the predation history of the properties, suggesting that the predation impact was not remarkable enough to influence local perceptions towards carnivores. This is apparently the first study on local perceptions towards large carnivores in Brazil.     

Jaguars, pumas, their prey base, and cattle ranching: ecological interpretations of a management problem

Jaguar and puma depredation on livestock may be influenced by (1) innate and learned behavior; (2) health and status of individual cats; (3) division of space and resources among jaguar and puma; (4) cattle husbandry practices; and (5) abundance and distribution of natural prey. Our study in Los Llanos of Venezuela aimed to establish how all these elements related to cattle being lost to cat depredation. Prey distribution was influenced by forest composition, topographical characteristics, and degree of habitat interspersion. The biomass of natural prey in the study area was adequate to support the resident large cats without a subsidy of livestock. Selective rather than opportunistic hunting by the cats reinforced that conclusion. Puma were responsible for more attacks on livestock than jaguar, frequently in maternity pastures in upland areas of relatively low prey availability. Management recommendations are discussed that may be relevant to other savanna/forest mosaics of South America.     

Free-ranging domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) as predators and prey in rural Zimbabwe: threats of competition and disease to large wild carnivores

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) arrived in Zimbabwe ca. 1000 years ago. Numbers of free-ranging dogs have reached unprecedented levels in communal lands (agro-pastoralist rural areas), and interact with large wild carnivores along boundaries with wildlife reserves as predators and prey. This study examined a population of 236 dogs in a 33-km² section of Gokwe Communal Land (GCL) bordering the Sengwa Wildlife Research Area (SWRA) in north-western Zimbabwe in 1995-1996. Dogs were found up to 6 km within the SWRA, and were the most common carnivore on the GCL-SWRA boundary. Observations of 16 radio-collared dogs showed that they were inefficient predators. Only 20 kills were recorded amongst the remaining dog population, of which three were wild ungulates. Dogs were unsuccessful predators due to their small group size (mean 1.7) and body mass (mean 14.7 kg), and the abundance of alternative food. It is therefore unlikely that they compete with large carnivores for wild prey. However, leopards (Panthera pardus), lions (P. leo) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) preyed on dogs in GCL, removing ?6% of the dog population in 1993. Such predation provides ideal circumstances for disease transmission. Canid disease was prevalent in the study area; including rabies and probably distemper. The risk of infection is greatest during the dry season (May-October), when peaks in rates of disease, carnivore incursions into GCL, and predation on dogs coincided. The role of jackals (Canis adustus and Canis mesomelas) and spotted hyaena predation of dogs is discussed in relation to disease epidemics within wildlife reserves. With a dog population growth rate of 6.5% per annum, and the prevalence of canid diseases, the conservation threat posed by dogs is escalating on communal land-wildlife reserve boundaries in Zimbabwe. Measures to control dog numbers and improve vaccination coverage of dogs are discussed.     

Cattle depredation by puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca) in central-western Brazil

In this study, data on cattle depredation by puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca) were recorded for six years (1998-2003) in a cattle ranch in central-western Brazil. Depredation represented 18.9% of the overall cattle mortality, being predominant on calves. In biomass, kills represented 0.4% (63.8 kg/km²) of the ranch’s annual stock. In economic loss, kills represented 0.3% of the cattle stock value. Depredation was mainly associated with cattle’s age class and location along with the time of birth of calves. The proportion of pastures next to forest with depredation (n = 33, 48.5%) was not distinguished to the proportion of pastures not bordering forest with depredation (n = 35, 51.5%). However, the proportion of pastures next to forest with depredation represented 54% (n = 33) of the 61 total pastures that were at least partially surrounded by forest patches or riparian forests that comprised eight continuum blocks of forest fragments of different sizes in the ranch and adjacent areas. No kills occurred in the central portion (main house) of the farm, close to the headquarters where the pastures not bordering forest. The distances of the kills in relation to areas of native forest was 1317.48 ± 941.03 m. In order to reduce depredation, calves should be kept as far as possible from forest areas and concentrated cattle breeding and calving seasons should be encouraged.     

Predicting the patterns, perceptions and causes of human–carnivore conflict in and around Machiara National Park, Pakistan

Human–carnivore conflict is considered to be a major conservation and rural livelihood issue because many carnivore species have been heavily persecuted due to elevated conflict levels with communities. To mitigate such conflicts requires a firm understanding of their underlying patterns. This situation is epitomized in Pakistan, where carnivore populations have been greatly reduced, but where no research has investigated the conflict patterns of large carnivore guilds with humans. Focusing in and around Machiara National Park (MNP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir region, we conducted the first such scientific study in Pakistan. From January 2004 to May 2007, 148 people lost their livestock to four carnivore species. Leopard was responsible for the majority (90.6%) of the 363 livestock killed, mainly goats (57.3%) and sheep (27.8%). Information-theoretic evaluation of a candidate set of regression models found that leopard kills inside villages were significantly higher for areas without electricity, while leopard kills outside villages were higher for pastoralists with larger herds that were further from MNP, with no effect from several guarding strategies used. Temporal leopard attacks were significantly and positively related to temperature, but not to rainfall, for goat kills, but not for other livestock kills. While leopard kills caused the greatest overall financial loss (19.8%) amongst carnivores, which negatively affected local tolerance towards leopard, disease caused greater livestock losses (72.7%). To improve both large carnivore and local livelihood prospects around MNP and across rural Pakistan, conservation and development projects should install village electricity supplies and vaccinate livestock, while the cost-effectiveness of different conflict mitigation strategies should be trialed.     

Spatial organization and food habits of jaguars (Panthera onca) in a floodplain forest

For most carnivore populations, territoriality is the regulating social system ultimately determined by food abundance and/or strife. However, in some food-based territorial felid species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), the influence of food availability on territoriality remains unclear and may be lessened because of a tendency for individuals to occur at high densities across the landscape. We examined spatial organization and use of food in a population of jaguars in the southern region of the Pantanal, Brazil (2003-04). We predicted that if territoriality plays an important role in determining jaguar population dynamics, exclusive use of territories should be observed and thereby influence prey selection patterns. We determined that home range sizes were comparable between sexes and overlapped little at the core area level. Line transect surveys revealed that large mammals comprised the bulk of available wild prey for jaguars, and scat analysis indicated that jaguars relied mostly on large mammalian prey. The most common wild species killed by jaguars were capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) and caiman (Caiman yacare). We estimated that the wild prey base was adequate to support the jaguar population. Larger wild prey species were considerably more likely to die from predation than from other causes, and predation was more likely to occur in jaguar core areas than in areas of home range overlap. Modest cattle depredation rates had little demographic importance to the local jaguar population. We conclude that spacing patterns in the local jaguar population were likely based on exclusion through territoriality rather than food limitation.     

Community, lions, livestock and money: A spatial and social analysis of attitudes to wildlife and the conservation value of tourism in a human–carnivore conflict in Botswana

We quantified livestock (cattle, shoats, horses and donkeys) losses to lions (Panthera leo) and attitudes to lions, livestock losses and tourism among livestock owners, village residents and tourism workers around Makgadikgadi Pans National Park in Botswana. Losses were not correlated with the size or structure of livestock enclosures, numbers of dogs or herders. Rather losses increased with the amount of livestock owned. Most were stray animals preyed upon at night. Attitudes to wildlife, conservation and lions were also not consistently distributed within the society we studied. Negative attitudes to lions were almost ubiquitous among cattleposts but less widespread among people living in the more urbanized society of villages or among people working in tourism.Although four tourist camps were operating in the area, benefits from these operations were largely limited to employees. Despite considerable sums of money being paid to Botswana by local tourist facilities few respondents viewed tourism as valuable and most felt that the government and not they or their community was the main beneficiary of tourism. Tourism employees made up a small sub-section of the adult population drawn predominately from larger villages while the costs of livestock losses were spread among cattleposts near the park boundary. These same cattlepost respondents were not prepared to improve stock care to protect livestock, but indicated a willingness to kill lions instead. If tourism is to play a role in reducing human–wildlife conflict, communities must not be regarded as homogenous entities into which to distribute benefits evenly. Benefits might usefully be distributed in relation to the costs of coexisting with wildlife or used as incentives to better protect livestock or other human resources.     

Empty forests: Large carnivore and prey abundance in Namdapha National Park, north-east India

Illegal hunting poses a dual threat to large carnivores through direct removal of individuals and by prey depletion. We conducted a camera-trapping survey in the Namdapha National Park, north-east India, conducted as part of a programme to evaluate carnivore and prey species abundance. Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) was the only large carnivore detected by camera-trapping. Indirect evidences indicated the presence of the wild dog (Cuon alpinus) and leopard (Panthera pardus), however, there was no evidence of tigers (Panthera tigris), suggesting their possible extinction from the lower elevation forests. Of the major ungulate prey species, sambar (Cervus unicolor) and wild pig (Sus scrofa) were the only large prey detected, while the Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) was the only small prey species detected. Relative abundances of all species were appreciably lower than estimates from other tropical forests in south-east Asia. We suspect that illegal hunting may be the cause for the low carnivore and prey species abundance. An ongoing community-based conservation programme presents an opportunity to reduce local people’s dependence on hunting by addressing their socio-economic needs and for using their skills and knowledge of the landscape for wildlife conservation. However, long-term wildlife monitoring is essential to assess the efficacy of the socio-economic interventions in bringing about wildlife recovery.     

Animal breeding systems and big game hunting: Models and application

We apply an age- and stage-structured model incorporating varying harem sizes, paternal care and infanticide to examine the effect of hunting on sustainability of populations. Compared to standard carnivore and herbivore models, these models produce different outcomes for sustainable offtake when either adults, or adult males are harvested. Larger harem size increases sustainable offtake whereas paternal care and infanticide lowers it. Where males are monogamous, populations are vulnerable to male offtake, regardless of paternal care. Surprisingly, an incidental take of 10% of other age-sex-classes has very little effect on these findings. Indiscriminate (subsistence) hunting of all age-sex classes has a dramatic effect on certain populations. Applying these behavior-sensitive models to tourist hunting in the Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania, we find that across the Reserve hunting quotas were generally set at sustainable rates except for leopard (Panthera pardus). In certain hunting blocks within the Reserve, however, quotas for eland (Taurotragus oryx), hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), lion (Panthera leo), reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) and waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) are set at unsustainably high rates. Moreover, particular blocks are consistently awarded high quotas. Behaviorally sensitive models refine predictions for population viability, specify data required to make predictions robust, and demonstrate the necessity of incorporating behavioral ecological knowledge in conservation and management.     

A range-wide model of landscape connectivity and conservation for the jaguar, Panthera onca

Large, wide-ranging carnivores face greater threats and more persistent declines than most other mammal species. An important conservation tool for these carnivores has been range-wide priority-setting exercises that have helped identify critical threats and key populations. However, such exercises often fail to identify functional movement corridors or account for genetic connectivity. We present a new model for jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation that uses a geographic information system (GIS) and expert input to create a dispersal cost surface and identify least-cost corridors connecting the 90 known populations across the jaguar’s range. Results indicate 78% of historic jaguar range, an area of approximately 14.9 million km², still holds potential for jaguar movement and dispersal. We identified 182 potential corridors between populations, ranging from 3 to 1607 km in length; 44 of these corridors are characterized as being of immediate concern due to their limited width, and thus their high potential for being severed. Resultant maps, displaying priority populations and corridors, are used to direct field-based research and conservation efforts. Field assessment and refinement of the corridors is ongoing. This is the first attempt to create and implement such a holistic model of range-wide conservation for a large carnivore species.     

Paying for wolves in Solapur, India and Wisconsin, USA: Comparing compensation rules and practice to understand the goals and politics of wolf conservation

With growing pressure for conservation to pay its way, the merits of compensation for wildlife damage must be understood in diverse socio-ecological settings. Here we compare compensation programs in Wisconsin, USA and Solapur, India, where wolves (Canis lupus) survive in landscapes dominated by agriculture and pasture. At both sites, rural citizens were especially negative toward wolves, even though other wild species caused more damage. Wisconsin and Solapur differ in payment rules and funding sources, which reflect distinct conservation and social goals. In Wisconsin, as wolves recolonized the state, some periodically preyed on livestock and hunting dogs. Ranchers and some hunters were more likely to oppose wolves than were other citizens. The Wisconsin compensation program aimed to restore an iconic species by using voluntary contributions from wolf advocates to pay affected individuals more for wolf losses than for other species. By contrast, wolves had been continuously present in Solapur, and damages were distributed amongst the general populace. Government-supported compensation payments were on offer to anyone suffering losses, yet claims registered were low. There were no significant differences in attitudes of any particular segment of the population, but those losing high value livestock applied for compensation. Residents at both sites did not report (Wisconsin) or expect (Solapur) a change in attitude towards wolves as a result of compensation, yet they support the existence of such programs. To assess the merits of any compensation program, one must disentangle the multiple goals of compensation, such as reducing wolf killing or more fairly sharing the costs of conserving large carnivores.