Wild Animals

Human-Wildlife Conflict and Welfare Solutions

Conflicts between humans and wildlife cause harm to both people and animals and require innovative welfare-sensitive solutions.

Key Facts

Human-elephant conflict results in hundreds of human deaths and thousands of elephant deaths annually
Snow leopard depredation of livestock leads to retaliatory killing threatening wild populations
Chilli fences, beehive fences, and livestock guardian dogs reduce elephant attacks humanely
Community-based conservation that benefits local people reduces retaliatory wildlife killing
Insurance and compensation schemes reduce financial pressure that drives wildlife persecution

Welfare Considerations

Human-wildlife conflict is a significant welfare problem for both humans and animals. Retaliatory killing of predators and crop-raiding herbivores causes animal suffering while failing to provide long-term solutions. Non-lethal conflict mitigation methods that work with local communities are both more effective and more humane.

What You Can Do

Support organisations that develop and deploy non-lethal conflict mitigation tools
Advocate for compensation schemes for farmers who lose livestock to wild predators
Engage with community-based conservation programmes that benefit local people and wildlife
Support research into the most effective conflict mitigation approaches for different contexts
Donate to organisations working on human-wildlife coexistence