Factors Influencing Human Attitudes towards Wolves in Northwest Spain

Abstract

Surveys have been used to study the current perception towards wolves by different stakeholders such as ranchers, landowners, hunters, experts in the field, and employees of the environmental administration in the provinces of Pontevedra and A Coruña, in the northwest of Spain. The main objective of this study is the evaluation and further discussion of the compensation offered to affected people for damages caused by wolf attacks and whether such compensations represent an improvement in the degree of tolerance towards these animals. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found among the different sectors interviewed, with the hunters being the least tolerant sector, followed by ranchers. The number of attacks in the area was proven to influence their perspective toward wolves and the need for preventive measures. There was unanimity among hunters, ranchers, and locals, who do not consider the tools provided by the Galician administration sufficient to palliate the damages produced by wolves. However, 53.8% of ranchers, the group whose livelihood will most likely be affected by wolf attacks, and 60% of the wolf experts believe that compensation does not help to reduce tolerance towards wolves. Losing an animal makes people more likely to agree to the use of lethal and non-lethal methods.