A recent study has revealed that animals in African savanna forests fear humans more than lions, with 95% of species observed responding with far more terror to human sounds than to lion roars. The research team from Western University conducted experiments in Kruger National Park, playing recordings of various sounds, including human conversations and hunting noises, at waterholes. They found that almost all mammal species were twice as likely to abandon the area upon hearing human sounds compared to lion roars.
The Greater Kruger National Park is home to the world's largest remaining lion population, so other mammals there are well aware of the danger lions represent. Lions (Panthera leo) have sharp claws, strong muscles, keen eyes, and powerful fangs, making them predators avoided by most animals. They possess bladed paws, a rippling mass of pure muscle, sharp eyes, agile reflexes, and crushing fanged jaws.
Conservation biologist Michael Clinchy from Western University explained the rationale behind the study. "Lions are the biggest group-hunting land predator on the planet and thus ought to be the scariest, and so we're comparing the fear of humans versus lions to find out if humans are scarier than the scariest non-human predator." He added, "Mammals usually don't die from disease or hunger; the thing that will actually end their lives would be a predator. The larger the size, the larger the predator. Lions are the largest wild predators that hunt in groups on this planet, and thus they should be the most terrifying."
Despite the formidable prowess of lions, the study demonstrated that the majority of savanna inhabitants are more afraid of humans. They played recordings of human conversations in local languages, including Tsonga, Northern Sotho, English, and Afrikaans, as well as sounds of human hunting activities, including dog barks and gunshots. The sounds of a group of lions 'talking' to each other were played; the vocalizations were of them snarling and growling, not roars. Clinchy noted, "The key thing is that the lion vocalizations are of them snarling and growling, in 'conversation' as it were, not roaring at each other. That way the lion vocalizations are directly comparable to those of the humans speaking conversationally."
The mammals observed included rhinos, elephants, giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, and warthogs. One night, a recording of a lion's roar angered an elephant to the extent that it attacked a bear-proof box and completely destroyed it, highlighting the intense reactions of animals to perceived threats, including human sounds. Even in this protected area known for its large lion population, animals reacted more strongly to human sounds than to lion roars, indicating that humans are perceived as a greater threat.
Liana Y. Zanette, a researcher involved in the study, commented on the findings. "I think the pervasiveness of the fear throughout the savannah mammal community is a real testament to the environmental impact that humans have." She further stated, "Not just through habitat loss and climate change and species extinction, which is all important stuff. But just having us out there on that landscape is enough of a danger signal that they respond really strongly. They are scared to death of humans, way more than any other predator."
The idea that animals might adapt to humans if humans do not kill them is disproven by these widespread fears of humans, which are ingrained and pervasive. Clinchy remarked, "There's this idea that the animals are going to habituate to humans if they're not hunted. But we've shown that this isn't the case."
The human vocalizations played in the observation showed that wild animals recognize humans as a real danger, with the greatest fear inspired specifically by hearing these vocalizations. Given how ubiquitous humans are, escaping from humans is only ever going to be a temporary situation for these mammals, who will unfortunately keep having their fears triggered by their presence. The fear that arises immediately after hearing human conversations cannot be ignored, especially for species in the savanna whose populations are declining, including giraffes.
Sustained fear could further reduce the populations of existing wildlife, as continued fear alone can reduce prey animal populations over generations. Knowledge of wildlife fear towards humans may be utilized by conservation biologists to help save species like the southern white rhinoceros from the threat of extinction. By playing human conversations in areas with known poaching in South Africa, conservationists hope to keep the endangered southern white rhino safely away.
This research highlights the profound impact humans have on wildlife behavior. The study demonstrates that even without direct hunting, the mere presence of human sounds can cause significant fear in wild animals. As Zanette noted, the pervasiveness of this fear is a testament to the environmental impact that humans have. This observation was reported in the Journal Current Biology.
Sources: ScienceAlert, Science, Al Bayan
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq