Domestic sheep predation
[5] According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 224,200 sheep were killed in the U.S. by predators in 2004, comprising approximately 37% of all bovine deaths for that year.
[7] The number of sheep lost to predators may also be higher when considering that reports are generally only made when there is a reasonable expectation that a producer will be financially reimbursed for the loss.
[8] In South America, the only widespread potential predators of sheep are cougars and jaguars, both of which are known to prey on livestock regularly.
South American canids such as the maned wolf and foxes of the genus Lycalopex are also blamed for sheep deaths, but no evidence for a statistically significant amount of predation by most of these species has ever been presented.
[4] Though large, the South African sheep industry is significantly hindered by the innumerable predators present in the country.
The only wild animal known to attack sheep in New Zealand is the rare, unusual kea parrot endemic to the country's South Island.
[18] Today the only wild animals remaining as a tangible threat to lambs in the British Isles are the red fox, European badger, and eagles.
[20] Larger predatory birds such as golden eagles and white-tailed eagles may pose a threat to sheep in the north of Britain, where their ranges remain stable, but studies show that overall levels of predation are likely to be low (in the order of 1-3%),[21][22] although a small number of farmers may occasionally suffer slightly higher losses.
Pre-modern shepherds had only the most basic of tools: their own presence, livestock guardian dogs, and protective structures such as barns and fencing.
Fencing (both regular and electric), penning sheep at night and lambing indoors all continue to be widely–used methods of protection today.
[1] The population of predator species plummeted worldwide, pushing some to extinction (such as the thylacine) or significantly reducing their original ranges.
With the appearance of the environmental and conservation movements, and subsequent state, provincial, national and international legislation, simply exterminating predator species failed to be a legally viable option for protecting flocks.
[1] Interspecific pasturing, usually with larger livestock such as cattle or horses, make also help to deter predators, even if such species do not actively guard sheep.
[26] In addition to animal guardians, contemporary sheep operations may use non–lethal predator deterrents such as motion–activated lights and noisy alarms.
