Abstract

DEUSTUA ARIS, Iris; LEON DE CASTRO, Marta Williams  and  VASQUEZ RUESTA, Pedro. Relationships between rural settlers and highland carnivores in the district of Anco, center - South of PERU. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2008, vol.7, n.1-2, pp.43-48. ISSN 1726-2216.

Semi - structured interviews were conducted on 75 rural settlers of the district of Anco during August 2006 aimed at describing relationships between rural settlers and highland carnivores. One hundred percent of those interviewed stated that there is a huge conflict with highland carnivores. The conflict can be traced to economic losses produced by highland carnivores due to predation of domestic animals and lost crops. Because of the conflict, rural settlers (52%) recognized having hunted highland carnivores. A percentage of 44% of the rural settlers have a negative attitude towards these species due to their predator behavior, whereas 56% have a positive attitude based on attraction and appreciation of their intelligence, force, courage and beauty. Highland carnivores are used for the following purposes: fat is used in medicine, meat is used as food and skin is used culturally or for craftsmanship purposes, although the intensity of their use and value has diminished through the years.

Keywords : rural settlers; highland carnivores; wildlife and human relationships; wildlife use.

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