Do Animals Fear Humans More Than Lions?
Lions are often considered to be one of Africa’s most deadly predators. However, recent global surveys show that humans actually hunt more prey than any other predator. Fear itself can have a detrimental impact on ecosystems by slowing the growth of prey populations and causing a ripple effect in the food chain. As a result, it’s important to understand which species cause fear for other animals.
In this experiment, researchers explored whether animals in South Africa fear humans more than lions. They arranged hidden cameras with sound machines near waterholes in a South African national park, where lions are prevalent. When an animal approached a waterhole, the sound machine automatically played either a lion sound, the sound of a human speaking calmly, two hunting-related sounds (a gunshot or dogs barking), or a control sound (birds). The researchers later analyzed the videos to see whether the animals ran away and how fast they left the waterhole.
Because the authors conducted their study in the wild, it wasn’t possible to analyze animals’ reactions based on age or sex. However, for most species, the fear of humans significantly exceeded the fear of lions. Wild animals overall were twice as likely to run away and left the waterholes 40% faster in the dry season when they heard humans, compared to when they heard lions.
Notably, the authors also found that the sounds of gunshots and dogs barking scared animals about as much as lions did. The overwhelming majority of species observed at the waterholes (18 out of 19) were more likely to run or leave the watering hole faster when they heard humans instead of lions. 89% of savanna mammals were more likely to run, and 84% ran faster when they heard humans compared to lions.
The fact that even calm human voices can instill fear in wild animals suggests that activities like animal photography and wild animal observational tourism can have a big impact on the environment. In wealthy countries, the authors believe this isn’t as much of a problem because the government can afford to put restrictions in place to give wild animals space away from human interference. However, many of Africa’s protected areas rely heavily on money from wild animal tourism to fund their operations, meaning animals may not have the luxury of space away from humans.
The authors suggest getting wild animals more accustomed to human sounds as a way to protect the tourism industry. However, in addition to the logistical challenges of doing this, it’s unclear whether this is in wild animals’ best interests from an ethical perspective.
While more research is needed to understand the effects of animals’ fear of humans, the authors also point out that this fear may be used to protect vulnerable wild animals. For example, recent experiments have shown that playing recordings of human sounds can stop animals from staying in certain places for a long time, which may protect them from illegal hunting. It can also be a cost-effective, non-lethal way to deter animals from areas where they might come into conflict with humans. In this way, advocates may consider exploring human sounds as a way to promote animals’ best interests.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.089