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Killer whale (Orcinus orca) sightings are increasing throughout the eastern Canadian Arctic, and residents of Nunavut are concerned about the possible impact of killer whale predation on other marine mammals [...]

The authors surveyed a sample of evacuees displaced by Hurricane Gustav about their decision to include or not include household pets in their evacuation plans. Data were collected along two [...]

The expertise of local people could help to protect an extremely rare Philippine species. The expertise of local people could help to protect an extremely rare Philippine species., Author Affiliations: A Philippine pangolin pup nuzzles close to its mother, who is curled into a protective ball. Credit: Gregg Yan (CC BY-SA 4.0) A Philippine Pangolin pup nudges its [...]

The present study queried a random, university faculty sample as to their reasons for owning pets. Mere pet ownership was not correlated with self-reported health, happiness, or quality of work life in this sample. Five dominant reasons were given for pet ownership. Women were more likely than men to self-report reasons related to social support for pet ownership, including that a pet helped them get through hard times and that they would be lonely without a pet. Men were more likely to report pragmatic reasons, such as the pet facilitating exercise or serving a useful function. Beliefs in the positive effects of pets on health were typical. Those beliefs in the health promoting aspects of pets are suggested as a link to human health and a promising area for future research.

The performance of the 8-item Companion Animal Bonding Scale as a self-report behavioral measure of the human-animal relationship when administered as part of a telephone interview is described. For 784 respondents Cronbach alpha for internal consistency was .74 and the SPSS for Windows Principal Components factor analysis of its internal structure yielded two factors which accounted for 55% of the scale's variance. These results are similar to the scale's Cronbach alpha of .82 and the first two of the three factors which accounted for 56% of the variance when the scale was included in a written questionnaire.

The result of the survey conducted in New York State to determine attitudes of people towards wild life are described. Declining problem tolerance indicated by multivariate trend analysis is highlighted.

It is clear, both intuitively and from research findings, that humans have definite preferences regarding different animal species. These preferences have implications for the management of wildlife tourism in terms of selecting animals that people want to see, understanding the features of the animals that are appealing to visitors, and developing education and interpretation programs. This study reports on findings from 790 respondents who were asked to list their favourite animals, and the reasons why they are favourites. The results confirm that favourite animals are often companion animals and those animals with which people are familiar. The reasons for liking animals centre around perceptions of their attractiveness, intelligence and character. Reasons for disliking animals often focus on the threat or potential harm to humans. Results highlight the importance of perceptions rather than actual characteristics in influencing preference and provide a basis for wildlife tourism planning.