Pastoralists as large predator hunters: a case study from the Judean Desert
Livestock predation by large mammals creates a conflict for agropastoral communities, who have a strong incentive to hunt these predators. In the Judean Desert, stone-built leopard traps stand as tangible evidence of this long-standing practice. To understand the intensity of past leopard hunting and its ecological impact, we surveyed and dated (using OSL) all 14 known traps in the region between 2019-2023. Our results show a peak in trap construction during the last millennium, coinciding with a decline in permanent settlements and a shift towards seasonal use by transhumant herders. Radiocarbon dating of leopard bones and initial analyses of ancient DNA suggest these hunting practices had significant consequences for the local mammal community structure. These results exemplify the impact of niche-construction by pastoralists on fragile desert environments.
