Date: December 20, 2018
Source: Pensoft Publishers
Unable to
differentiate between a predator and a tourist boat carrying humans curious to
view a colony of seals while resting in their natural habitat, pinnipeds are
quick to react defensively as soon as they sense what they perceive as a
potential life threat. The closer the vessel approaches, the more likely it is
for the animals to rush into the sea in an attempt to escape and the greater
the risk of injury and even death in the event of a stampede, or predation once
they are in the water. In fact, just the act of remaining alert comes at
potentially high energetic costs for the animals.
"Although
the purpose of ecotourism is to give patrons the opportunity to observe animals
in the wild engaging in typical behaviors, ecotourism-based human interactions
may insteadalter pinniped behavior by initiating responses indicative of
predation avoidance," explain the scientists.
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