Research overview: leopard cat conflict with poultry farmers

Leopard cats occasionally prey on free-ranging chickens, generating conflict with rural households whose tolerance is pivotal to the species survival in unprotected farmland. This overview synthesises social-ecological research on the extent of poultry depredation, the economic and emotional drivers of farmer attitudes, and interventions such as predator-proof coops, compensation and friendly-farming certification schemes that reward coexistence. It examines how conflict over a small, mostly beneficial rodent-eating cat is mediated by livelihood vulnerability and program trust, drawing parallels with larger-carnivore conflict elsewhere. The synthesis frames poultry conflict management as central to conserving leopard cats in human-dominated Asian landscapes.