Recent studies at South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park have revealed an astonishing fact: the region’s animals, including elephants and giraffes, exhibit a deeper fear of humans than of lions, as shown in the image above. This discovery underscores the extensive influence of humans as “super predators” and introduces fresh challenges in the realm of wildlife conservation. Acknowledgment: Daniel Rosengren
The latest research indicates a surprising predator feared more by elephants, rhinos, and giraffes than lions.
Historically, lions have been viewed as the ultimate predators, often termed the “king of beasts.” However, recent research proposes that on the African plains, various mammals such as elephants, rhinos, and giraffes have a heightened fear of a different adversary: humans.
These findings significantly bolster the growing evidence from international wildlife studies, suggesting that the dread of humans as the dominant “super predator” is prevalent in animal populations globally.
Instances of elephants exhibiting aggressive behavior and attacks on speakers emitting lion sounds. Acknowledgment: Liana Zanette / Western University
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The Role of Human Interaction
New research led by Liana Zanette, a biology professor at Western University, in collaboration with renowned lion specialist Craig Packer from the University of Minnesota and other experts, was recently published in the journal Current Biology.
Conducting their experiments in South Africa’s renowned Greater Kruger National Park, Zanette and her team empirically demonstrated that local wildlife exhibited a doubled likelihood of fleeing and vacating waterholes 40% quicker when exposed to human voices, compared to the sounds of lions or hunting noises (such as barking dogs or gunshots).
Image of an elephant captured by a camera. Acknowledgment: Liana Zanette / Western University
About 95 percent of species exhibited a greater tendency to flee or abandon waterholes faster in response to human presence compared to lions. This included giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthogs, and impalas, which showed a significant increase in fleeing from human voices over lion sounds, and elephants and rhinos, which left waterholes more quickly upon hearing humans than lions.
Rhinoceroses and elephants leaving waterholes upon detecting human presence. Acknowledgment: Liana Zanette / Western University
Ecological Impact and a Global View
“These results introduce a new aspect to the global environmental effects we have,” stated Zanette, a prominent wildlife ecologist. “The profound fear of humans we’ve demonstrated here, along with similar findings in other experiments, is likely to have severe ecological repercussions, as other recent studies have found that fear alone can diminish wildlife populations.”
Global studies reveal that humans hunt prey at significantly higher rates than other predators, categorizing humans as a “super predator.”
Images of giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudus, warthogs, and impalas fleeing upon hearing human sounds. Credit: Liana Zanette / Western University
“Aligning with our unique lethality, data from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and now our African study, show that wildlife globally fears the human ‘super predator’ more than any local apex predator, such as lions, leopards, wolves, cougars, bears, and dogs,” explained Zanette.
For their study, Zanette and her team set up concealed automatic camera-speaker systems near waterholes that, when activated by an animal approaching within about 10 meters (30 feet), recorded the animal’s reaction to sounds of humans speaking calmly in local languages, lions growling, hunting noises, or non-threatening sounds (like bird calls).
“These findings pose a significant new challenge for the management of protected areas and wildlife conservation, as they demonstrate that even the fear of harmless humans, like wildlife tourists, can lead to these previously unknown impacts,” Zanette concluded.
Source: “Fear of the human ‘super predator’ pervades the South African savanna” by Liana Y. Zanette, Nikita R. Frizzelle, Michael Clinchy, Michael J.S. Peel, Carson B. Keller, Sarah E. Huebner, and Craig Packer, 5 October 2023, Current Biology.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.089
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Wildlife Human Fear Study
What recent discovery has been made about wildlife in South Africa’s Kruger National Park?
Recent studies have shown that animals in the Greater Kruger National Park, including elephants, rhinos, and giraffes, exhibit a greater fear of humans than of lions. This insight is reshaping our understanding of wildlife conservation and the impact of humans as ‘super predators’ in natural habitats.
How did researchers demonstrate wildlife’s fear of humans compared to lions?
The researchers, led by Western University’s Liana Zanette and including lion expert Craig Packer, used automated camera-speaker systems at waterholes. They found that wildlife was twice as likely to flee and left waterholes 40% faster when hearing human voices compared to lion sounds or other hunting noises.
What are the broader implications of these findings for wildlife conservation?
These findings highlight the significant impact of human presence on wildlife behavior and stress the need for a reevaluation of conservation strategies. The fear of humans among wildlife can lead to ecological consequences, as fear itself can reduce wildlife numbers, posing new challenges for protected area management.
What does the term ‘super predator’ mean in the context of this study?
In this context, ‘super predator’ refers to humans. The study and global surveys indicate that humans hunt prey at much higher rates than other predators. This designation reflects the unique and extensive impact humans have on wildlife and ecosystems.
More about Wildlife Human Fear Study
- Wildlife’s Fear of Humans
- Human Impact on Wildlife
- Kruger National Park Research
- Super Predator: Human Influence
- Conservation Challenges in the Modern World
- The Ecological Impact of Fear
- Human-Wildlife Interactions Study
6 comments
wow, this is crazy! never thought that animals would be more scared of us than lions… really makes you think about our impact on nature.
humans as super predators, huh? never looked at it that way. eye-opening stuff.
heartbreaking that animals are this afraid of us 🙁 we need to do better at protecting them, not scaring them.
interesting read, but are we really worse than lions? seems a bit of a stretch… need more info on this.
i’m not surprised, humans have always been a threat to wildlife… sad but true.
this is so important for conservation efforts! we need to consider our presence as a factor in wildlife behavior. great article.