Penteriani Vincenzo, Delgado María Del Mar, Pinchera Francesco, Naves Javier, Fernández-Gil Alberto, Kojola Ilpo, Härkönen Sauli, Norberg Harri, Frank Jens, Fedriani José María, Sahlén Veronica, Støen Ole-Gunnar, Swenson Jon E, Wabakken Petter, Pellegrini Mario, Herrero Stephen, López-Bao José Vicente
Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C., c/Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain.
Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University-Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 3;6:20552. doi: 10.1038/srep20552.
The media and scientific literature are increasingly reporting an escalation of large carnivore attacks on humans in North America and Europe. Although rare compared to human fatalities by other wildlife, the media often overplay large carnivore attacks on humans, causing increased fear and negative attitudes towards coexisting with and conserving these species. Although large carnivore populations are generally increasing in developed countries, increased numbers are not solely responsible for the observed rise in the number of attacks by large carnivores. Here we show that an increasing number of people are involved in outdoor activities and, when doing so, some people engage in risk-enhancing behaviour that can increase the probability of a risky encounter and a potential attack. About half of the well-documented reported attacks have involved risk-enhancing human behaviours, the most common of which is leaving children unattended. Our study provides unique insight into the causes, and as a result the prevention, of large carnivore attacks on people. Prevention and information that can encourage appropriate human behaviour when sharing the landscape with large carnivores are of paramount importance to reduce both potentially fatal human-carnivore encounters and their consequences to large carnivores.
媒体和科学文献越来越多地报道，在北美和欧洲，大型食肉动物对人类的攻击事件呈上升趋势。虽然与其他野生动物造成的人类死亡相比，此类事件较为罕见，但媒体经常过度渲染大型食肉动物对人类的攻击，导致人们对与这些物种共存及保护它们产生更多恐惧和负面态度。尽管在发达国家，大型食肉动物的数量总体上在增加，但数量增加并非是观察到的大型食肉动物攻击事件增多的唯一原因。我们在此表明，参与户外活动的人数在不断增加，而在此过程中，一些人会采取增加风险的行为，这可能会增加遭遇危险和潜在攻击的概率。在有充分记录的已报道攻击事件中，约一半涉及人类的风险增加行为，其中最常见的是让儿童无人看管。我们的研究为大型食肉动物对人类攻击的原因及预防提供了独特见解。在与大型食肉动物共享环境时，能够鼓励人类采取适当行为的预防措施和信息对于减少潜在的致命人兽冲突及其对大型食肉动物的影响至关重要。
