Research overview: leopard livestock depredation and wild prey availability

A survey of how the depletion of wild prey drives leopards to kill domestic livestock, fueling conflict that is a leading threat to the species. Across Africa and Asia, leopards persisting near people switch toward goats, sheep, dogs and calves when natural prey is scarce, and depredation rates often rise where wild ungulates have been hunted out. This overview synthesizes evidence linking wild-prey abundance, husbandry practices and habitat structure to depredation risk, and the interventions, from prey recovery to improved corrals, that reduce conflict. It connects prey-availability theory to human-carnivore conflict and conservation, illustrating that managing the wild prey base is often the most durable route to reducing livestock losses. The topic bridges predation ecology and the social dimensions of large-cat coexistence.