@article{929b025365ba4cdca2c68cb2882f13f3,
title = "Effectiveness of a LED flashlight technique in reducing livestock depredation by lions (Panthera leo) around Nairobi National Park, Kenya",
abstract = "The global lion (Panthera leo) population decline is partly a result of retaliatory killing in response to livestock depredation. Nairobi National Park (NNP) is a small protected area in Kenya surrounded by a human-dominated landscape. Communities around the park use flashlights to deter lions from their livestock bomas. We investigated the response by lions to the installation of a LED flashlight technique during 2007-2016. We interviewed 80 owners of livestock bomas with flashlights (n = 43) and without (n = 37) flashlights in the surroundings of NNP and verified reported attacks on bomas against predation data over10 years. The frequency of attacks on bomas equipped with flashlights was significantly lower compared to bomas without flashlights. We also found that after flashlight installation at livestock bomas, lion attacks took place further away from the park edge, towards areas where bomas without flashlights were still present. With increased numbers of flashlight installations at bomas in recent years, we further noticed a shift from nocturnal to more diurnal predation incidences. Our study shows that the LED flashlight technique is effective in reducing nocturnal livestock predation at bomas by lions. Long term studies on the effects as well as expansion of this technique into other communities around NNP are recommended.",
keywords = "large carnivores central-africa predation conservation husbandry cameroon west Science & Technology - Other Topics",
author = "F. Lesilau and M. Fonck and M. Gatta and C. Musyoki and {van't Zelfde}, M. and Persoon, {G. A.} and Kcjm Musters and {de Snoo}, {G. R.} and {de Iongh}, {H. H.}",
note = "ISI Document Delivery No.: FU2GT Times Cited: 2 Cited Reference Count: 42 Lesilau, Francis Fonck, Myrthe Gatta, Maria Musyoki, Charles van't Zelfde, Maarten Persoon, Gerard A. Musters, Kees C. J. M. de Snoo, Geert R. de Iongh, Hans H. Lesilau, Francis/0000-0002-4719-3503 Louwes Fund for Water to FL and Food through Leiden University (CML); Leo Foundation; Louwes Fund for Water and Food through Leiden University (CML) This study was part of the PhD project of the first author, FL. The scholarship costs were covered by Louwes Fund for Water to FL and Food through Leiden University (CML) as well as Leo Foundation. Field data collection costs for the present paper is covered within the scholarship as part of PhD program. Therefore, the sponsor had no interest and role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.; We thank Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Friends of Nairobi National Park (FoNNaP) and The Wildlife Foundation (TWF) for permission to use their database on human-wildlife conflict reports. The Louwes Fund for Water and Food through Leiden University (CML) as well as Leo Foundation are acknowledged for their financial support. This research would not have been possible without assistance of KWS Rangers, Atif Chunghtai, Chief Nickson Parmisa and MSc students enrolled in the NNP lion project. We finally thank our respondents for their cooperation during two years of interviews and Mr. Isaacc Tarayia who helped with the translation of the interviews. 2 1 14 Public library science San francisco <Go to ISI>://WOS:000423668400028",
year = "2018",
doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0190898",
language = "English",
volume = "13",
journal = "PLoS One",
issn = "1932-6203",
publisher = "Public Library of Science",
number = "1",
}