In some areas, they are persecuted because of the mistaken belief that they prey on livestock; however, they are actually beneficial to the farmers because they eat termites that are detrimental.
ɪn sˌʌm ˈɛɹiəz, ðeɪ ɑːɹ pˈɜːsɪkjˌuːɾᵻd bɪkˈʌz ʌvðə mɪstˈeɪkən bᵻlˈiːf ðæt ðeɪ pɹˈeɪ ˌɔn lˈaɪvstɑːk; haʊˈɛvɚ, ðeɪ ɑːɹ ˈæktʃuːəli bˌɛnɪfˈɪʃəl tə ðə fˈɑːɹmɚz bɪkˈʌz ðeɪ ˈiːt tˈɜːmaɪts ðæt ɑːɹ dˌɛtɹɪmˈɛntəl.