Large terrestrial predators are animals that simultaneously fascinate and frighten us, and that are the subject of a constant tug-of-war between the need to conserve them and the need to keep them at a distance. But regarding the threat they represent, we tend to be guided by topics that are not always faithful to reality. Researchers from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, have analyzed which of them kill the most prey. And the results challenge what we think we know, drawing attention to the need to study predator activity in more depth.
From ancient legends and ancient tales like Little Red Riding Hoodwolves get a bad press that always presents them as bloodthirsty and implacable creatures. On the contrary, the bear is a tender and adorable character, elevated to stuffed animal stardom. However, reality is different: a bear, an omnivore that we imagine eating berries from a bush, kills more prey than a wolf, almost 14% more.
This is one of the conclusions of the study published by Luke Emerson and his collaborators in the journal Biological Reviews. Compiling data from published analyzes of the predatory activity of different species, researchers find that, in general, solitary hunters such as bears, tigers, lynxes and pumas take more prey per head than social predators such as lions or wolves. For example, Emerson points out, each wolf kills one prey every 27 days, while a lynx kills every four days.
This difference could be because social hunters can handle larger prey, so they need to kill less frequently. “Group living significantly reduces energy demand,” the authors write. In addition, solitary predators such as cheetahs or pumas can more easily lose their catches to other group and larger carnivores, so they consume less meat than they hunt. This kleptoparasitism, as the theft of food from other animals is called, is the origin of another false cliché: “If you have seen the movie The lion kingyou would think that hyenas mostly steal food,” says Emerson. “But that is not the case. “Lions often steal from hyenas, as well as other carnivores such as cheetahs or wild dogs.”
Human-carnivore conflicts
“Although not specified in the studies, it seems that much of the research on predation rates is motivated by conflict or competition between humans and carnivores,” says Emerson. Direct attacks by carnivores on humans are the exception, but the conflicts also extend to the losses suffered by livestock farmers and the predation of wild herbivores that are subject to established hunting quotas.
These conflicts fuel debates that never end, and that have their peculiarities in each region of the world: in Africa, Maasai shepherds traditionally resolve conflicts with lions by their own hands, with a spear or using poison. In the European Union, the wolf is in the process of losing part of its protection and some political groups defend its hunting. Hunting large carnivores is permitted and regulated in the United States.
Emerson hopes that research like his will shed light on these debates, helping to clarify our understanding of the predatory activity of large carnivores and perhaps changing public perception. It is not about putting bears or lynxes in the spotlight — “this would be a simplistic interpretation,” he says — but about studying the impact of carnivore species on ecosystems and applying this knowledge to conservation.
Hunting to conserve, does it work?
Specifically, hunting as a conservation tool, used throughout the world, is a hot point of debate. At Colorado State University, Rebecca Niemiec directs the Animal Human Policy Center and researches conservation and its social aspects. Niemiec explains that most professionals still appreciate the value of hunting in managing populations of large herbivorous mammals and some birds; In the United States, with a strong hunting tradition, both hunting license fees and gun sales contribute funds to conservation.
“However, the importance of hunting as a carnivore management tool is increasingly questioned, and provides less funding,” he clarifies. Studies by Niemiec and his collaborators show that support for recreational predator hunting is declining for ethical reasons. “Some studies show that recreational hunting is not the most effective tool to reduce livestock losses,” he adds. Instead, the researcher highlights the use of deterrent systems to prevent these attacks, restricting the use of lethal methods for specific animals that repeatedly cause problems.
Large carnivores play important roles in the structure of ecosystems, so removing them or reducing their numbers can have cascading effects, Emerson concludes; “being aware of the problem of possible conflicts, we must be careful in how we manage them.”
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