Is popularity a double-edged sword? Children want to protect but also harvest tortoises

Abstract

The likeability of organisms is an effective tool for conservation education. However, stimulating the cute appeal of animals can also bolster the desire to possess them, and thus can encourage the trade in animals as pets. We assessed the perception of primary French schoolchildren (7–11 years old) for the Hermann tortoise (Testudo hermanni), a popular species endangered by illegal harvesting. Likeability for tortoises is associated with a strong willingness to protect them. Many children, however, expressed controversial attitudes toward them, such as the desire to possess a tortoise as a pet and to remove it from its natural habitat. Likeability was a significant determinant of these attitudes, and must thus be used with caution. Implementing these findings in conservation education programs should, therefore, be considered.