Livestock enclosures help people coexist with carnivores

In the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), some 2.7 million people share the landscape with lions, wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. But living alongside large predators isn’t easy. From 2003 to 2015, carnivores preyed on nearly 6,000 livestock animals in Namibia alone, threatening local livelihoods and fueling retaliatory killings—one of the greatest threats to KAZA’s lions.

To support human-wildlife coexistence in conflict hot spots, WWF’s partners have helped construct permanent and mobile enclosures, or kraals, which keep livestock safe from carnivores at night. Permanent kraals are built using strong metal fencing, while mobile kraals are made from canvas fabric.

These enclosures have been remarkably effective. Since installing kraals, communities in Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have seen a sharp drop in livestock losses—sometimes by as much as 100%. And with fewer attacks on livestock, people are less likely to harm large carnivores in retaliation, making KAZA safer for all.