Fear of large carnivores amplifies human-caused mortality for mesopredators
2 institutional releases
Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)
A study in Washington state found that when wolves and cougars moved into an area, coyotes and bobcats shifted their movements into regions with higher levels of human activity. However, it was humans who finished off the smaller predators, with over half of the coyotes killed by people during the study period.
Coverage from 2 institutions
- Out of the frying pan: Coyotes, bobcats move into human-inhabited areas to avoid apex predators — only to be killed by people University of Washington · May 18, 2023 · first to report
- Fear of large predators drives smaller predators into areas they perceive as safer, but where risk is greater American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) · May 18, 2023