By Yuval Zukerman.
By Yuval Zukerman and Oded Berger-Tal.
With rapid human population growth, the need for wild animals to tolerate humans and human disturbances is crucial to many species’ survival. But what other consequences do wild animals face when they develop a high tolerance of humans and human disturbance?
In our study, we investigated the behavioral responses of Nubian ibex, a threatened desert ungulate, to different approaching objects. We studied five populations of ibex in the same region that differ in their exposure to humans. At the highest level of exposure, populations occur inside human settlements, utilizing artificial food and water resources. Less exposed populations inhabit popular hiking areas. The least exposed populations are in remote locations with almost no human visitors. We approached the ibex using four treatments: 1) only a human, 2) a human with a dog on a leash, 3) a novel object, and 4) a leopard model. In each approach, we measured the distance between the ibex and the object when the ibex becomes alert and the distance between the ibex and the object when the ibex decides to flee. We found that ibex that are more exposed to humans were more tolerant both of humans as well as of other potential threats.
This raises a concern that animals that are highly exposed to humans may be less capable of surviving in the wild. Such behavioural changes can also increase human-wildlife conflict and even lead to evolutionary changes over time. Wildlife exposure to humans is one of animal conservation’s biggest and unavoidable challenges. Understanding the consequences of frequent interactions with humans is crucial for the proper management of animals in human-dominated landscapes as we struggle to promote human-wildlife coexistence.
Relational Thinking 