The impact of livestock guarding dogs on gazelles and jackals in the Golan Heights

Abstract

The Golan Heights in the north of Israel is home to golden jackals (Canis aureus) and a resurgent wolf population (Canis lupus), along with intensive cattle ranching. Free-roaming livestock guarding dogs (LGDs; Canis lupus familiaris) are used in some ranches as a non-lethal measure to mitigate predation, which also causes concern about their negative impact on endangered mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella). This study assumed that in open pastures (without protective fences), LGDs could promote the persistence of gazelles by displacing jackals that prey on gazelle fawns. Camera traps were undertaken in the summer and autumn 2023 in 4 pastures with LGDs and 4 pastures without LGDs. Gazelles preferred LGD pastures, despite the increased presence of jackals and the presence of wolves. Within the LGD pastures, gazelles had a positive interaction with LGDs, and jackals had a negative interaction with LGDs and were more alert. Fawn:gazelle ratio was highest in the LGD pastures, and higher than in pastures with protective fences and other sites with lower jackal densities. The findings show that the presence of LGDs supports higher gazelle densities and recruitment, possibly creating a landscape of fear for the jackals that are either drawn to the gazelles or experiencing mesopredator release. We suggest further study of jackal and wolf movement in response to LGDs to assess the effect of humans on predator-prey interactions and its implications for both ranching and wildlife conservation in pastoral landscapes.