Presumed killers? Vultures, stakeholders, misperceptions, and fake news

Abstract

Vultures and condors are among the most threatened avian species in the world due to the impacts of human activities. Negative perceptions can contribute to these threats as some vulture species have been historically blamed for killing livestock. This perception of conflict has increased in recent years, associated with a viral spread of partial and biased information through social media and despite limited empirical support for these assertions. Here, we highlight that magnifying infrequent events of livestock being injured by vultures through publically shared videos or biased news items negatively impact efforts to conserve threatened populations of avian scavengers. We encourage environmental agencies, researchers, and practitioners to evaluate the reliability, frequency, and context of reports of vulture predation, weighing those results against the diverse and valuable contributions of vultures to environmental health and human well‐being. We also encourage the development of awareness campaigns and improved livestock management practices, including commonly available nonlethal deterrence strategies, if needed. These actions are urgently required to allow the development of a more effective conservation strategy for vultures worldwide.

Awareness of environmental legislation as a deterrent for wildlife crime: A case with Masaai pastoralists, poison use and the Kenya Wildlife Act

“…The largely positive attitude towards vultures among pastoralists was expected, because vultures do not represent a threat to people and their livestock, despite very rare cases of predation on injured animals (Lambertucci et al 2021 ), and the local pastoralists seem to be aware of that. Instead, vultures are commonly perceived as valuable allies to livestock farmers and owners, as they clean the environment from carcasses, and can act as sentinels.…”

Social actors’ perceptions of wildlife: Insights for the conservation of species in Mediterranean protected areas

“…Including the human dimension in conservation management may improve the likelihood of success (Bennett 2016). By exploring the understandings that may exist in society regarding differences in the perceptions of species as emblematic and threatened, novel conservation actions that have social support can be fostered (e.g., Morales-Reyes et al 2018;Duriez et al 2019;Lambertucci et al 2021). Defining social perceptions towards species can help integrate the human dimension by identifying which species should be targeted in conservation programs for example in education agendas.…”

Unravelling negative interactions between humans, mammalian carnivores and raptors in South America

“…This suggests that land use changes produced by humans are shaping negative human-wildlife interactions. The colonization process also affected the ancestral ecological knowledge of South American societies and incorporated new ideas and perceptions about native fauna that came from the 'Old World' (Jacques-Coper et al 2019;Lambertucci et al 2021a). These imported ideas have also influenced the relationship between humans and wildlife.…”