Human-carnivore conflict is the leading cause of carnivore mortality globally. Evidence-based coexistence tools reduce conflict while protecting both livestock and carnivore welfare.
Human-carnivore conflict creates welfare harm for both the livestock killed and the carnivores killed in retaliation. Livestock killed by predators die violently; carnivores killed in retaliation may be trapped in snares or shot non-lethally. Coexistence tools that prevent depredation without lethal control deliver welfare benefits on both sides of the conflict. Guardian dogs represent a particularly effective welfare-positive intervention — they protect livestock through presence deterrence without harming carnivores. Investment in coexistence tools is both more effective at long-term conflict reduction and more welfare-positive than reactive lethal control.