Human–Wildlife Interactions with Different Species in a Brazilian Park: A Naturalistic Approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Understanding human interactions with wildlife in parks is critical for wildlife managers, including the psychological nature of such interactions that can lead to improvements in conflict management and other impacts. Indirect and non-naturalistic studies that were based on psychological models of empathy have been conducted in a few countries and support the hypothesis that humans are more concerned about animals that are phylogenetically similar to themselves. Following a naturalistic approach, we investigated whether this bias in preference is expressed in interactions with different species in a Brazilian park. We hypothesized that affiliative-like behaviors (e.g., number of interactions, touching, and feeding) are more directed toward animals of similar phylogenetic groups. A naturalistic setting involves other variables that affect interaction dynamics. We also investigated the aggregation of animals, the proximity of animals to visitors, the presence of children, and day-of-week and time-of-day interactions. Affiliative-like interaction rates were more directed toward mammals than non-mammals and more directed toward primates than nonprimates, thus supporting our hypothesis. Mammals were more aggregated than other animals, and children were present in most of the interactions with all species. These results highlight that wildlife management must consider biodiversity when designing interventions to prevent problems with specific phylogenetic groups and promote healthier interactions between humans and species that are usually less involved in conflicts.