Minimizing disturbance to wildlife by tourists approaching on foot or in a car: A study of kangaroos in the Australian rangelands

Abstract

Approaching wildlife to attain a closer viewing experience is common amongst visitors to natural areas. We examined how tourists approach free-living kangaroos during encounters in a popular tourism destination in South Australia. We then simulated the typical properties of approaches to quantify the behavioural reactions of two kangaroo species—the Red Kangaroo ( Macropus rufus) and the Euro ( M. robustus erubescens). We also accounted for the disturbance context such as varying environmental conditions (time of day, cover, wind speed) and other factors (species, sex class, grouping) that potentially modify the kangaroos’ flight response. Approach varied by access (on-trail, off-trail), transport (on-trail: hiking, driving; off-trail: hiking) and approach style (on-trail: tangential/continuous, tangential/stop-and-go; off-trail: direct/continuous, direct/stop-and-go, direct/stop-and-go/talking, tangential/zigzag/stop-and-go). On-trail, 53% of kangaroos took flight when the closest distance to them was approached whilst (by design) all subjects off-trail took flight. The mean (±1 SE) flight initiation distance (FID) was significantly shorter following an on-trail (78 ± 2.7 m) than an off-trail approach (90 ± 2.7 m). Kangaroos fled less often (41% vs. 75%) and spent more time in maintenance activities (40% vs. 10%) if approached in a vehicle than on foot. The mean FID and flight length (FL) after approach on foot was reduced when made in a stop-and-go fashion without talking. Euros fled at a significantly shorter FID with a shorter FL than Red Kangaroos, and so did females with obvious pouch-young compared to females with young-at-foot. FID was shortest if the approach was made in the evenings, the habitat provided cover and the day was calm. The results suggest that wildlife tourists should be educated to the best choice of approach behaviour and viewing conditions to reduce aversive reactions in kangaroos and mediate closer observations to the visitors’ greater satisfaction and the kangaroos’ better welfare. Our study also shows the benefit of a two-stage approach where the detailed observation of human behaviour serves as a prerequisite to an experimental study on wildlife response.