Research overview: puma-sheep conflict on Patagonian rangelands

This overview reviews human-puma conflict across the sheep-ranching landscapes of Argentine and Chilean Patagonia, where pumas prey on sheep and guanaco and ranchers have long persecuted them. It synthesises studies of depredation rates, the interplay between native guanaco abundance and livestock predation, the use of hired lion hunters and bounties, and emerging interest in guardian dogs and improved husbandry. The literature also considers the growth of puma-based tourism in areas such as Torres del Paine, where pumas have become a wildlife-watching draw. The survey frames Patagonia as a landscape transitioning from entrenched persecution toward tentative coexistence driven by tourism value and nonlethal mitigation.