One of the greatest threats to jaguars (Panthera onca), the largest predator in Latin America, is hunting. In an effort to understand conflict between humans and jaguars some conservation biologists, who lack training in the social sciences, have assessed human perceptions and attitudes of jaguars. Conclusions have resulted in a call for sociocultural and social psychological research. My dissertation is a response to this plea. To investigate the capacity for humans to coexist with jaguars and pumas (Puma concolor) I assessed sociocultural meanings embedded in conflict, explored the ability of a rancher outreach program to reduce conflict, and synthesized environmental and wildlife discourses on cognitive constructs in understanding human behavior toward wild animals. Results from over one year of participant observation and 131 interviews of Ticos and Cabécar indigenous in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) of Costa Rica reveal both direct encounters and traditions embedded in culture have an impact on human conflict with large felines. Furthermore, programs aiming to reduce conflict between humans and large felines need to consider that coexistence is both culturally sensitive and based on geographical proximity. Ultimately, this study offers insight into how indigenous peoples interweave both traditional and modernized meanings of large predators—perspectives that have important implications for conservation and coexistence. Despite positive initiatives toward coexistence in this part of the MBC, they are still in their infancy and face tensions against a prominent hunting culture. My findings offer recommendations for future research surrounding human conflict and coexistence with large predators that will inform practical solutions and outreach interventions. Given this study is one of the first conducted by a social scientist on human jaguar relations it is important for both feline conservation efforts and for understanding human predator coexistence within biological corridors globally.
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