Research overview: pumas, hobby farms, and the exurban interface

This overview examines puma conflict at the expanding exurban interface in the western Americas, where small hobby farms and acreages place horses, llamas, goats, and pets within reach of pumas using greenbelts and canyons. It synthesises evidence that unsecured small livestock and outdoor pets drive a disproportionate share of depredation complaints, and that simple measures, night enclosures, secured feeding, guard animals, removing attractants, substantially reduce incidents. The literature discusses how newcomers to exurban areas often lack predator-aware husbandry knowledge, and the role of outreach. The survey frames the exurban edge as a growing frontier of puma conflict where education and husbandry, not lethal control, offer the most leverage.