Scientists conducted research to find out what scares animals the most.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to Unian.
The results showed that humans are the most dangerous predators for wildlife.
Fear of humans is deep-rooted and widespread. There is an opinion that animals will get used to humans if they are not hunted. But we have shown that this is not the case,' shared biologist Michael Clinchy from Western University in Canada.
Ecologist Liana Zanette and her colleagues conducted an experiment in the Greater Kruger National Park (South Africa), where the largest population of lions is located.
As part of the study, the experts reproduced various sounds, including human speech in local languages, dog barking, gunshots and lion roars. They observed the reactions of 19 mammal species, including rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, leopards and others.
«The key is that lions pronounce how they growl and roar, so to speak, in a “conversation”, and do not roar at each other. Thus, lion vocalization is directly comparable to the voice of people talking, the scientists noted.
It turned out that almost all the animals were more likely to leave the pond when they heard human speech than when they heard lions or hunting sounds. This confirms that humans cause much greater fear in wild animals than even well-known predators such as lions.
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