United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

Veterinary Services Wildlife Services

Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health September 2007 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Highlights of the Sheep and 

Lamb Predator Death Loss in the 

United States, 2004 Report 

The Sheep and Lamb Predator Death Loss in the United 

States, 2004 report was a cooperative effort between the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) 

Wildlife Services and its National Animal Health 

Monitoring System. The report provides a breakdown by 

size group and region of sheep and lamb death loss in 

the United States in 2004 for all causes. Where possible, 

1994 and 1999 death losses were provided for 

comparison, as funding is provided by APHIS every five 

years. 

 Data for the report were gathered via a stratified 

random sample of U.S. producers surveyed by the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service. Survey 

procedures ensured that all sheep producers, regardless 

of operation size, had an opportunity to be included in 

the survey. Large operations were sampled more heavily 

than small operations. About 22,000 operators were 

contacted during the first half of January 2005 by mail, 

telephone, and face-to-face interviews. The following are 

highlights excerpted from the Sheep and Lamb Predator 

Death Loss in the United States, 2004 report, which was 

released in September 2007. 

Sheep and lamb nonpredator and predator 

death loss—1994, 1999, and 2004 

 Since 1994, predator causes accounted for over onethird of U.S. sheep and lamb death losses. In 2004, 37.3 

percent of losses were due to predator causes (table 1). 

Table 1. Number of sheep and lamb death losses by 

cause and percentage of loss by cause—by year: 

Cause of loss 

 Coyotes were the leading cause of sheep predator 

loss in 2004, accounting for 51.7 percent of sheep 

deaths due to predators. Dogs were the second leading 

cause of loss, accounting for 22.7 percent of predator 

losses. Losses due to “other” predators increased from 

1994 to 2004 (table 2). 

Table 2. Percentage of sheep predator death loss by 

cause and by year: 

 Percent Predator Loss 

Year 

Predator Cause 1994 1999* 2004* 

Bears 4.3 4.6 4.5 

Bobcats or lynx 2.7 3.0 3.3 

Coyotes 58.5 51.7 51.7 

Dogs 18.4 25.7 22.7 

Mountain lions** 10.7 7.6 7.7 

Foxes 0.8 0.9 0.5 

Eagles 1.8 1.0 1.1 

Other predators 

(wolves, ravens, 

vultures, other 

animals, and 

unknown predators) 2.8 5.3 8.6 

Total 100.0 99.8 100.1 

*Cause-specific percentages do not sum to 100.0 due to rounding. 

**Also known as cougars, pumas, and panthers. 

The percentage of sheep death loss due to coyotes was 

lower in the smallest operation size category than in the 

larger size categories. The percentage of losses 

attributable to dogs decreased as operation size 

increased (figure 1). 

Number and Percent Loss 

Year 

1994* 1999 2004 

Cause Number Pct. Number Pct. Number Pct. 

Nonpredator 577,950 61.1 472,700 63.2 376,100 62.7 

Predator 368,050 38.9 275,700 36.8 224,200 37.3 

Total 946,000 100.0 748,400 100.0 600,300 100.0 

*Total sheep and lamb death losses for 1994 have been revised. See full 

report for complete discussion: <http:nahms.aphis.usda.gov/sheep> 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

0 20 40 60 80 100

Mountain lions*

Dogs

Coyotes

Percent

Size of Operation 

(Number of Sheep 

and Lambs)

Predator Cause

1 to 24

25 to 99

100 to 999

1,000

or More

32.3

54.4

5.0

66.2

21.6

1.4

57.8

19.1

6.4

55.9

5.7

10.9

Figure 1. Percentage of Sheep Predator Death Loss by Selected Causes 

and by Size of Operation 

*Also known as cougars, pumas, and panthers

• Coyotes accounted for the highest percentage of 

sheep losses in every region* in 2004 except the 

Southeast/Other region, where dogs accounted for 

the highest percentage of predator loss. 

 

• In the West Central region, 5.2 percent of all lambs 

born were lost to predators in 2004. The Central 

region had the lowest percentage death loss due to 

predators (1.6 percent of lamb crop). 

• Coyotes accounted for the highest percentages of 

death loss in lambs in 1994, 1999, and 2004 (69.4, 

64.3, and 64.2 percent of total predator loss, 

respectively). The percentages of lamb death loss 

due to coyotes were similar across operation sizes 

during 2004. 

_____________________ 

*Regions: 

Pacific: California, Oregon, and Washington

West Central: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, 

Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming 

Central: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, 

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and 

Wisconsin 

Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New 

York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island**, Virginia, Vermont, and West 

Virginia 

Southeast/Other: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, 

Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New 

Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee 

 

**For the 1994 estimates, Rhode Island was included in the 

Southeast/Other region. In 1999 and 2004, Rhode Island was included 

in the Northeast region.

Nonlethal control methods 

Nonlethal predator control methods were used by 31.9 

percent of all operations in 2004 (table 3). 

Table 3. Percentage of operations by nonlethal 

predator control methods used:

 Percent Operations, 2004 

Control Method Pct. 

Std. 

Error 

Guard dogs 10.3 (1.0) 

Llamas 4.4 (0.5) 

Donkeys 3.0 (0.3) 

Fencing 16.6 (1.4) 

Lamb shed 9.9 (0.7) 

Herding 1.9 (0.3) 

Night penning 10.6 (0.8) 

Fright tactics 0.7 (0.1) 

Removing carrion 3.9 (0.4) 

Culling* 4.4 (0.4) 

Change bedding 2.8 (0.4) 

Frequent checks 4.5 (0.4) 

Other 1.2 (0.1) 

Any method 31.9 (1.4) 

*Culling as a nonlethal strategy: Producers sometimes remove older, 

sick, or injured sheep from a flock for overall herd quality. In addition, 

it is suggested that fewer predators are attracted to the flock when 

these animals—which are more susceptible to predation by mountain 

lions, bears, and black vultures—are removed. 

For more information, contact: 

USDA:APHIS:VS:CEAH 

NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7 

2150 Centre Avenue 

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117 

970.494.7000 

E-mail: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov 

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov 

#N499.0907

____________________________________

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