Livestock loss by the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in and around a waste dumping site in Northern Ethiopia

Human-carnivore conflict is one of the leading constraints to biodiversity conservation efforts. We investigated livestock depredation in two sub districts (Debre-Genet and Debre Tsehay) that were located nearby a waste dump and in two sub districts (Worki-Amba and Dabanow) that were located far from the waste dump. We hypothesized that livestock depredation would be higher in villages located close to waste dumping place where hyenas are more abundant at night than in villages that are located at relatively far places. Structured interview was used for randomly selected 277 respondents from four sub-districts [Debre-Genet (n=30), Debre-Tsehay (n=31), Worki-Amba (n=140) and Dabanow (n=76). A total of 158 (57%) respondents claimed livestock depredation and a total of 535 livestock were lost over the years 2009-2013. In total, livestock depredation was higher in Worki-Amba and Dabanow subdistricts (67% n=360) than in Debre-Genet and Debre Tsehay sub-districts (33% n=175). However, in intensity livestock depredation was higher in the vicinity of waste dump than in sub-districts that were far from the waste dumping site. The findings demonstrate that livestock depredation was higher in the villages that were located close to the waste dumping site. This might be due to the availability of human organic waste in the waste dump.