South Africa In tests, recordings of human voices scared wild animals more than lion roars or gunshots.
Many animals run away when they hear people talking. Video: IFL Science
Giraffes, elephants, antelopes, rhinos, leopards and more than a dozen other mammal species in Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, ran away from human noises coming from loudspeakers at twice the rate of lions, according to a study by Michael Clinchy at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, and colleagues. The new study was published in the journal Current Biology on October 5.
"In theory, this is a protected area, so these animals shouldn't be afraid of people. But new research shows that whether you're a wildlife tourist, a poacher, or anyone else, everyone is treated the same. Human presence is threatening, no matter what kind of person you are," Clinchy said.
Previously, he and his colleagues discovered that fear of predators can cause animal populations to decline. To find out which predator is the most fearsome, the team decided to experiment with humans and lions - animals often considered the most fearsome land hunters.
The team set up speakers and cameras in trees about 10 meters away from animal paths, near 21 waterholes in the Greater Kruger National Park, home to one of the world’s largest lion populations. As animals approached the waterholes, the speakers automatically played one of four recordings at the same volume. The recordings included men and women talking calmly in local dialects, lions growling, gunshots (which may be accompanied by barking dogs), and calls from local birds such as hoopoe and barn owls.
The team filmed the reactions of 19 carnivorous and herbivorous species to the recordings, totaling about 15,000 videos. They found that animals were more frightened by human voices than by any other sound. When they heard human voices, they ran away 40 percent faster than when they heard lion or hunting noises, abandoning the lake even in the dry season. The only species that did not run away when they heard human voices were lions. “Lions don’t run away from anything,” he said.
The new findings build on previous studies of strong fear responses in animals to humans in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, which have shown the negative impact that human presence has on wildlife habitats. “Fear of humans alone can have serious ecological consequences,” Clinchy said.
But the new discovery could also have positive consequences. Recordings of human voices could help deter wild animals from entering fields or farms, and could even protect rhinos from foraging in areas prone to poaching.
Thu Thao (According to New Scientist )
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