Perceived effectiveness of livestock-guarding dogs placed on Namibian farms

Marker, Dickman, and Macdonald evaluated the Cheetah Conservation Fund's program placing Anatolian shepherd and Kangal guarding dogs with Namibian farmers to reduce cheetah and other predator losses. Through farmer questionnaires they assessed perceived changes in depredation, dog behaviour, and farmer attitudes after placement. Most farmers reported large declines in livestock losses and high satisfaction, and many became more tolerant of predators, reducing lethal removal. The study also documented problems including dog injury, illness, and behavioural faults. It provided influential evidence that working dogs can shift farmer attitudes and predator-management practices in conflict-prone commercial and communal farmland.