How much is wildlife tourism affecting the animals it targets?

Date:  June 7, 2018

Source:  Oxford University Press USA

A new study in Conservation Physiology, published by Oxford University Press, reveals that white shark activity increases dramatically when the animals are interacting with cage-diving operators.

In recent decades, wildlife tourism has rapidly expanded and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. Ecotourism opportunities to cage-dive with white sharks, large marine predators, are available in Australia, South Africa, the United States of America, Mexico, and New Zealand, with up to seven companies operating simultaneously in one site.

Previous studies have shown that wildlife tourism can change behavior of animal species by altering their habitats or eating patterns. How these changes affect the health of individual animals or animal populations is unclear.

The study shows that white sharks are more active and likely use more energy when interacting with tourism operators compared to other situations (e.g. when operators are absent), raising questions about the behavioral changes such tourism may be causing.

The researchers tracked ten white sharks at South Australia's Neptune Islands with devices for nine days, finding that the increased movement when sharks are interacting with cage-diving operators results in overall dynamic body acceleration, a proxy for activity, 61% higher compared to other times when sharks are present in the area.

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