Research overview: puma livestock depredation and lethal-removal permits in the western US

This overview synthesises research on puma predation on livestock, sheep, calves, goats, hobby-farm animals, across the western United States, and the depredation-permit systems that authorise killing offending cats. It reviews patterns of loss, the role of individual problem animals, the effectiveness and controversy of lethal removal, and evidence that indiscriminate hunting can disrupt puma social structure and sometimes increase conflict by replacing residents with young dispersers. The literature evaluates nonlethal alternatives including guard animals, night penning, and fladry, and the economics of small-scale versus commercial operations. The survey frames western puma management as a contested balance between agricultural interests, public values, and predator ecology.