Visitors’ Feelings toward Moose and Coyote in a Wildlife Sanctuary: Transcendent Feelings of Animal Valuation Scale

What is it about?

Biodiversity is critical for healthy ecosystems and human well-being. Diverse animal species are an important component of conservation. However, humans prefer some animal species over others. This is a challenge to conservation of diverse species. Also, unpopular species may suffer from human actions to reduce their numbers such as poisoning or painful traps. Feelings are a very important component of human decision making. Further research is needed to understand how to increase positive feelings toward different species. This study compared visitor feelings toward two species (moose and coyote) at a Maine wildlife sanctuary. The study showed that visitors had significantly higher positive feelings toward the moose than the coyote before they visited the park. But after seeing the animals, the visitors’ scores toward both moose and coyote increased significantly. Study participants indicated that their visit helped them to appreciate wildlife and feel more closely connected to the animals. A number of visitors said that they planned to spend more time outdoors looking for wildlife in their own area. They also enjoyed the natural setting of the sanctuary and appreciated that the animals were being helped.

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