Data from: Studded leather collars are very effective in protecting cattle from leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks

Human-wildlife conflicts are widespread, particularly with big cats which
can kill domestic livestock and create a counteraction between
conservation and local livelihoods, especially near protected areas.
Minimization of livestock losses caused by big cats and other predators is
essential to mitigate conflicts and promote socially acceptable
conservation. As big cats usually kill by throat bites, protective collars
represent a potentially effective non-lethal intervention to prevent
livestock depredation, yet the application and effectiveness estimation of
these tools are very limited. In this study, for the first time we
measured the effectiveness of studded leather collars in protecting cattle
from leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks. We conducted a randomized
controlled experiment during 14 months to collar 202 heads and leave
uncollared 258 heads grazing in forests and belonging to 27 owners from
eight villages near three protected areas in Mazandaran Province, northern
Iran. Our results show that none of collared cattle and nine uncollared
cattle were lost to leopard depredation, meaning that collars caused a
zero relative risk of damage and a perfect 100% damage reduction. Most
losses occurred in summer and autumn due to lush vegetation attracting
more cattle, long daytime allowing movements deep into leopard habitats,
and dense cover favoring leopard hunts from ambush. Losses were recorded
in only six owners and four villages, suggesting local rarity and patchy
distribution of leopards. We suggest that collars can be successfully
applied to cattle freely grazing in habitats of leopards or other felids
for a long time and thus remaining persistently exposed to depredation. As
grazing cattle are usually not supervised by shepherds or dogs, collars
can be the only practical protection tool. Production and sales of collars
can become a sustainable small-scale business for farmers to further boost
conservation and rural livelihoods.