To mitigate the conflict derived from Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) predation on livestock, a prevention and compensation program has been implemented to compensate farmers for poultry and lambs killed by Iberian lynx. Although the majority of the attacks were carried out on poultry, the predation of lambs in extensive flocks leads to greater economic losses. The effectiveness of portable electric fences in preventing predation by Iberian lynx on lambs in such flocks was evaluated.
Electric fences were installed around two flocks of sheep suffering from attacks by Iberian lynx. Before the experiment, both flocks grazed without any surveillance during the day. At night, sheep with a single lamb were left to roam freely or spent the night in a poorly constructed enclosure. Sheep with two lambs remained with their lambs without any type of protection. After the electrified enclosures were put in place, sheep with lambs were moved inside at night. No attacks were detected inside the electric fences. During the daytime, four attacks on lambs grazing without surveillance were recorded. Despite the initial success of this experiment, more study is still needed to test the long-term effectiveness of this preventive tool as a means of minimizing the conflict between Iberian lynx and humans at a broader scale.