Human-Wildlife Conflict

Bryan E. Reynolds/www.bryanreynoldsphoto.com When thinking about nuisance species, like rats and cockroaches, the majority of the world’s population are disgusted by them, but there is definitely a portion of the population that have a soft spot for these species. However, I think mosquitoes might be the one nuisance species that truly no one likes. There are an estimated 4,000 species of mosquitoes and they inhabit every continent, except Antarctica. They seem to be an unneeded species that only bring frustration and annoyance to everyone around the world. Surprisingly enough, mosquitoes play some pivotal roles in the ecosystem. Mosquitoes provide a huge portion of diets for many species, including spiders, multiple birds, and fish species, as well as many others. Mosquitoes also do a great deal of pollinating for numerous plant species; they are most well-known for pollinating orchids. It is kind of crazy that something seen as such a nuisance helps produce such a unique...

It may be hard to hear, but everyday animals are being exploited in tourist industries around the world. Many people do not see the negative impacts of participating in these activities, or they are simply not educated enough to know that what they are doing is unethical. Exploiting any living creature for monetary gain is absolutely immoral, and I believe that this is a type of human-wildlife conflict. All around the world, animals are being taken from their mothers, beaten, and trained to perform in shows, paint pictures to sell, or take pictures with tourists, to name a few. In Thailand, for example, tigers are taken from their mothers at a young age and drugged just so tourists can take pictures with them or perform in circus-like shows. A few tourists have been attacked by these tigers. People walk around busy tourist streets or beaches with baby gibbons, lemurs, and macaques charging money to take pictures with them. Many tourist “camps” offer elephant riding and trekking ...

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In the world today the human population is about 7.6 billion people, which is a whole lot of people to share this world with! We are not only sharing this world with each other, but with all different kinds of wildlife-from pesky bees to roaring lions. As the human population continues to expand, a lack of natural space for many animals causes increases in human-wildlife conflicts. Human-wildlife conflict can be defined as any interaction between humans and wildlife that results in negative impacts on humans, wildlife and/or the environment. These conflicts are not all considered equal; they fall on a scale of very minor to life threatening situations. Local examples include wildlife-vehicle collisions with moose or deer, raccoons rummaging in the trash, to more international problems such as elephants in Africa eating crops and lions killing livestock. Human-wildlife conflict is very important, and affects all of us whether we know it or not. All of the wildlife on our planet play...

Gabby My name is Gabby and I’m a senior Zoology major at the University of New Hampshire. I’ll hopefully be a graduate student in secondary education the following year and become a certified science teacher. I grew up in Woburn, Massachusetts, but currently live in Hudson, New Hampshire. I have many amazing pets; a pup named Roger, a cat named Saphy, and eight chickens. I am a defenseman on the UNH Women’s Club Hockey team. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy our blog! Bri Hi! My name is Bri and I am zoology major and a double minor in psychology and animal behavior at the University of New Hampshire. I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland with a house always full of pets! I have always had a love for animals and the outdoors. I am still unsure with what I would like to do once I receive my degree, but I hope to work directly with animals and wildlife conservation. Sam Hi! I’m Sam, and I am a neuroscience and behavior major at the University of N...