This article highlights a study conducted by researchers from University of Indiana and Red Ape Encounters, an eco-tourism group. The researchers studied two apes in Sabah, Malaysia for 14 years that were accustomed to regular contact with humans. The orangutans' feces analyses revealed higher stress hormone levels a day after coming in contact with humans. Higher stress hormone levels were found in samples taken from wild orangutans that were not used to human contact after interaction with the researchers.
Red Ape Encounters runs ecological tours termed "sensitive" by limiting the number of tourists allowed on each tour and the length of each visit. These measures are meant to ensure minimal stress on the environment and wildlife in question. There is evidence that negative pathological effects like impaired cognition, growth, and reproduction in apes result from stresses caused by less sensitive tours. Similarly eco-friendly tours have proved successful in their minimal impact on the environment and have actually helped to improve conservation efforts, like those involved in mountain gorilla tourism in central Africa.
Though this article does not necessarily address an issue directly affecting people, I find it relevant to previous class discussions on eco-tourism and animal preservation efforts. Eco-tourism not only affects the water supply, air pollution levels, local subsistence practices, and the survival of local plant species, but it also affects wildlife. No matter how well-intentioned an eco-tourism group may be, human intrusion into an animal's habitat will likely have some negative impact on the species. This raises a few questions. Is this a case for the idea that in order for nature to remain "natural," humans must be taken out of the picture? Do conscious eco-tourism groups like Red Ape Encounters and Great Ape Tourism really do more good than harm? What are the pros and cons of allowing people into otherwise uninhabited environments?
Source: http://articles.cnn.com/2012-03-23/asia/world_asia_eco-stressed-orangutan_1_eco-tourism-gorillas-orangutans?_s=PM:ASIA
I think there is definitely a case to be made that increased human activity around orangutans will increase their stress levels. But the question becomes: to what extent does this increased stress harm the well being of orangutans. I think Red Ape Encounters ecotourism group has made a step in the right direction by limiting the number of people on their tours to 7 and only one visit per hour. This begs the question: how many people and how many visits per hour take part in normal ecotourism trips. I think it is irresponsible and unethical for ecotourism visits to overwhelm natural habitats. When a group of humans are planning on entering a natural environment it is critical that they treat animals with respect. I believe ecotourism is inherently a good endeavor and a sector that has the potential for a lot of good intention. As noted in the article, ecotourism helps spread awareness about endangered species and raise money to help fund conservation efforts and spur local economies. However, there is danger for abuse and harmful exploitation of nature and nature's inhabitants. I believe groups like Red Ape Encounters and Great Ape Tourism are an important part of the ecotourism industry because they seem to push forward with a noble agenda that hopefully will influence the entire industry.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those issues where I find it hard to pick a side. It comes as no surprise that tourists raise stress levels, as I'm sure more that one of us has witnessed the ridiculous behavior that tourists can exhibit. If I were the aim of their adventure, I would be stressed too. Digression aside, I feel for the orangutans and many other animals that no longer live in an unaltered nature free of roads and trails. But selfishly, I cannot be fully happy with human exclusion. We want to believe in a peaceful, codependent relationship between man and nature, but as seen time and time again, that relationship can be very strained. I applaud the sensitive ecotourism ventures for their efforts, and hope they will inspire others. The question remains: Are we preserving the environment for our own personal gain, or for the sake of the environment itself? I believe there is a fine balance, and these groups are at least heading in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIn the wild, orangutans are exposed to many different animals. Why is it that human interaction increases their stress level? My point is, humans must be doing something in our interactions with orangutans that give these animals stress. In the case of habituated orangutans, the fact that researchers took away these orangutans from their natural habitat and into a confined space with undesirable tests may be sufficient cause for an orangutan to feel stressed every time they see a human. However, even for wild orangutans, humans must be doing something during their eco-tours that causes stress in these animals. To change this, I think we have to do more than just make eco-tours more "sensitive". We must change the entire method we use to interact with these orangutans. Instead of bringing in noisy and high-polluting vehicles into their habitat, we should approach them in the most natural of ways - walking into their habitat with the least amount of technology that could potentially intimidate these animals. We do not have to exclude ourselves from nature for it to remain natural. WE must simply act more natural. We are animals, by the way.
ReplyDeleteWhile the evidence provided in the article indicates that orangutans experience increased levels of stress while interacting with humans, I don't think it's necessary to eliminate human interaction altogether for a couple of reasons. First, it’s beneficial for humans to interact with wildlife in order to promote awareness of endangered species and encourage the protection of the environment. Secondly, I think that ecotourism groups such as Red Ape Encounters have the right idea with limiting the number of people allowed on the tours. While it is important to expose people to wildlife, it is also important to preserve that wildlife by keeping the animals, including orangutans, stress-free. I don’t think there is any way which could completely eliminate stress for the animals, but then again, stress is part of daily life when living in the wild. We as humans are just another stimulus to which the orangutans are responding.
ReplyDeleteI agree that wildlife needs to be preserved, and I know that education is the best way to promote this. But I don't think it's possible to take people out of the equation, nor do I think it's the omptimum outcome for the planet. We NEED to minimize our impact, I agree to that. But we're a species here to, and we act as a control to many other species that may have asserted its own increased survival skills had we not been here (we just "control" invasion at a slightly alarming capacity). As Earthlings, we are still a part of this planet, but we just need to learn how to balance or even minimize our impact on the planet-- 7 billion minimums is still enough control.
ReplyDeleteI agree with sand-n-sun that we are just another stimulus to which orangutans are responding. And orangutans may show some selection eventually for those who are better able to handle interactions with other species, particularly the loud and obnoxious homo sapien. However, I feel like there is a big difference between being surprised by a hoarde of humans once or twice in your life time (which would induce stress in anyone), being subjected to human visitors almost every day for your entire life since birth (which would be slightly stressful, but a chronicly routine occurance that might decrease stress levels), and being subjected to hoardes of loud human visitors with different scents and sounds and characteristics all snapping bright lights and sounds at you every other day (which would be stressful). In this case, eco-tourism is doing its best to minimize the magnitude of stimulus as well as doing what it can to promote education and a connectedness with nature while not maximizing stress levels. However, with as many people as there are, we're probably still doing MORE than our fair share of stressing other organisms out.