Socio-Economic Impacts of Livestock Depredation on the Local Communities in the Wildlife Dispersal Areas of Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Abstract
Livestock attacks by wildlife, causing injury and or death, inflict high socio-economic losses on local communities that primarily depend on livestock keeping as their main land use activity and source of income. The study examined the socio-economic impacts of livestock depredation on the local communities in the wildlife dispersal areas of Maasai Mara National Reserve. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including observation, daily monitoring of livestock depredation incidents, household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings indicated that all the respondents interviewed had experienced livestock depredation. Livestock is very important (100%) to one’s social status or identity and when it's injured and or killed by wildlife, it affects the community. 12.3% (42) of respondents had experienced human death and injury, 57% (n=195) felt it is not safe to guard livestock and 48.5% (n=166) worry often about the future livestock losses due to carnivores. On economic losses, the total minimum amount lost to all livestock (294) killed by carnivores was KES 2,415,000 (USD 18,691.95), while the highest amount was KES 6,165,000 (USD 47,716.72), at the market price. On the approximate amount of costs in KES invested towards guarding livestock against wild animal attacks in a year, the respondents showed an average of KES 171,227 per year (M=171227, SD=61,234). The maximum amount invested was 300,000, with the minimum being 60,000. The study recommends financial assistance or subsidies by the government to reduce initial setup costs for livestock depredation mitigation measures
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