Human-Animal Conflict
Interaction With Wildlife Affects Both Us and Them, Often Negatively
A reivew of the four key aspects of human-animal conflict, how we help create problems and how they affect the animals involved.
Broadly speaking human-animal conflict falls into 4 main categories:
1. Space conflict
2. Crop raiding
3. Predation on livestock
4. Death of humans
Space conflict: can be anything from raccoons in your attic to elephants trampling a village. And although the latter is much more drastic in terms of real loss, any human animal conflict puts the animal at risk. ‘Pest removal’ companies are called in for the first situation. The trapped raccoon may then be released into the woods (which may already have too many raccoons who will force the new one out, possibly resulting in death) or be euthanatized outright.
Crop Raiding: ranges from birds and small mammals taking vegetables from your garden to the above elephants consuming a whole years worth of crops for an entire village. Retaliation happens in both cases, usually to the animal’s detriment (see Pest Control in the Home and Garden for some wildlife friendly options for your garden).
Predation on livestock: This is the scenario that comes to mind for many of us when we think of human-animal conflict. Ranchers and farmers lose animals to wild carnivores every year. On the North American continent this is the one that inflames passion on either side (see Grey Wolf proposed for delisting). And, ironically, turns out to be the one most preventable with a little effort on our part. Prevention can range from keeping guard dogs who bark at the approach of predators, often scaring them away and alerting the farmer to the situation, to specialized portable enclosures to confine the stock at night (when most predation occurs).
Death of humans: Mountain lion (cougar) attacks in the western US have brought this issue sharply into focus of late. With more people spending time in the wild, the risk is bound to go up as humans accidentally startle animals, separate mothers from young or get between the predator and its food. But, ‘man-eating’ big cats have existed for many years. Research indicates that we contribute to the problem. In the past, and even now in some parts of the world, human bodies left unburied attracted the cats who then got a taste for human flesh. We are easier to catch than healthy hoof stock. And, as we encroach on their habitat, hunt the same wild hoof stock, they are forced to find other meat sources.
Finding ways of mitigating human-animal conflict is critical to preserving wildlife. And the focus of much of the work being done by wildlife conservationists.
Reference: Treves, A & Karanth, KV.Human-Carnivore Conflict and Perspectives on Carnivore Management Worldwide.2003. Conservation Biology,17.6, 1491-1499
