The Livestock Corporation (Corfoga) signed a cooperation agreement with the NGO Panthera Costa Rica, to work on the conservation of the 6 species of wild cats found in national territory. During 2021, 13.26% of the total cattle losses were due to animal attacks (wild cats, snakes, coyotes, etc.), according to data from the National Agricultural Survey carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses –INEC).
One of PANTHERA’s main projects is Feline-Livestock Coexistence, which aims to provide technical assistance to farmers affected by the depredation caused by wild cats on their domestic animals, and tries to provide solutions through the implementation of anti-predator strategies and improvement of livestock management.
But, can wild cats and cattle really coexist?
Roberto Salom, director of PANTHERA points out that: “One of the main causes of death of wild cats is precisely when it comes into conflict with livestock. That is why it is very important to train the farmer to improve livestock management and avoid attack by wild cats; jaguars, pumas, ocelots, triguillo, in almost the entire national territory, but hot areas such as the outskirts of Tortuguero Park, Los Chiles, the Guanacaste mountain range, Osa and Talamanca stand out”.
According to the executive director of CORFOGA, Luis Diego Obando: “The signing of this agreement responds to the responsibility with which the sector addresses the environmental issue, since 18% of the country’s forests are found on cattle farms, favoring thus carbon fixation and providing ecosystem services such as biological corridors and water protection”.
The purpose of CORFOGA and the NGO PANTHERA is to generate coexistence with cats on livestock farms, coordinating efforts to enhance resources and achieve a greater impact in the areas that are established as priorities.
