What is Human-Wildlife Conflict?

What does human to wildlife conflict mean? This is where encounters between humans and wildlife will lead to negative results. […]

What does human to wildlife conflict mean? This is where encounters between humans and wildlife will lead to negative results. These results could be poaching, habitat loss, and retaliatory killings. All of these which could lead to the species becoming extinct.

Poaching is a profitable industry and one that continues to grow. People will try to sell skin, bones, meat, and more from these animals. They sell these parts on the black market to buy. Religious groups also use pelts for ceremonies. When the pelts wear out, people will go out and hunt to create new ones to use.

Habitat loss is another conflict rapidly growing. This is due to the increase in population. Communities have been intruding in on these wild areas by building new neighborhoods and expanding the cities. Companies are out destroying forests to make money off of the lumber they cut down. There are certain forests out there that are getting chopped down resulting in endangered species looking for new homes. Palm Oil is a major ingredient that companies mainly look for to get out of deforestation. Many food products use Palm Oil to ensure their lifespan. To learn more about Palm Oil, feel free to visit one of our other articles, “The Problem with Palm Oil.”

Retaliatory killings can happen for many different reasons. One of the reasons why this happens are animals will attack livestock which causes farmers to protect their property. Due to people moving closer into the animal’s homes, they are forced to find new places to find their food. For instance, farms, cities, and frequently visited places are just a few examples where these animals go to find food next. Animals will start to see people as a threat to their food. This happens when animals are a little too comfortable. Then they start moving into populated areas. The public sees these animals as a threat and then they go out to hunt them. When these killings happen, the animals typically end up on the black market for people to buy.

People are now starting to address human and wildlife conflicts. Many groups work with the RoundTable for Sustainable Palm Oil use to help out. These groups have helped initiat education and conservation efforts in order to spread awareness of the palm oil crisis. Endangered species are protected by several laws like the ESA. The ESA stands for the Endangered Species Act. Due to the lack of law enforcement and regulation, there are still many conflicts that will arise from humans. These laws need to be addressed a lot more!

TCWR is trying to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act. This bill will federally prohibit the ownership of large exotic cats as pets in people’s homes and backyards. To learn more info on this act, please feel free to visit our website! Human to wildlife conflict can only change with your help!

Sources:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-human-wildlife-conflict-and-why-is-it-more-than-just-a-conservation-concern

https://www.turpentinecreek.org/current-big-cat-laws/

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