Study on the «super hunter»
The recreational hunter is nature's biggest competitor to predators. Studies show that he hunts differently than natural predators and destabilizes ecosystems.
Successful, but not very sustainable: that's one way to describe the hobby hunter.
Scientists argue that to protect the environment, it should take its cue from predators.
The recreational hunter differs from predators in a particularly dangerous way. With his sophisticated weapons and other technical aids, he primarily hunts adult, healthy prey on land. This clearly distinguishes him from predators, writes a Canadian research team in the journal " Science ".
Since adult specimens represent the reproductive capital of a species, humans, unlike many animal predators, thus have a lasting impact on the structure of ecosystems and food chains.
Humans are super-hunters, the scientists summarize the results of their study. "Our impact is as extreme as our behavior, and the planet is bearing the cost of our dominance as predators," said lead author Chris Darimont of the University of Victoria, Canada, in a statement from his university.
Predators primarily attack young animals.
Study leader Thomas Reimchen from the same university adds: “While predators primarily attack the young of a population, humans exploit the reproductive capital of adult animals by hunting them.” According to the study authors, this is not sustainable, and the consequences are becoming increasingly costly for humanity. To change this, exploitation by human hunters must be drastically reduced, and humans must adapt their behavior to more closely resemble that of non-human predators.
The researchers evaluated numerous data sources, such as journal articles, scientific books, and reports, to determine how many individuals of a species fall victim to predators. They compared the kill yield of human hunters with that of animal predators. In total, they analyzed data from more than 2,100 wild animal populations on land and in the sea.
More successful than other robbers
According to the researchers, human hunters worldwide kill significantly more adult animals than other predators. In the oceans, they kill approximately 14 times more prey than predatory fish, the scientists report. There, they "fish their way up the food chain." On land, hunters kill roughly nine times more bears, wolves, and lions than animal predators.
The scientists write that human superiority is primarily due to equipment and technological aids. These allow humans to kill safely from a distance and, for example, to target large, healthy specimens for trophy hunting. The recreational hunter is thus becoming increasingly detached from nature. He is decimating the populations of many species and destroying ecosystems.
Ability to change?
In a commentary on the study, biologist Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, writes: “We have the unusual ability to consciously analyze our behavior and modify it in such a way as to mitigate harmful consequences. I believe that this last point will prove crucial for our continued coexistence with wildlife on land and in the sea.”
