Hiking: Presence of Humans as Close as One Mile Away Can Disturb Wild Animals

Ever since the global pandemic started, people had been greatly deprived of their social life and started turning into indoor activities. When pandemic restrictions had been gradually lifted as time passes, especially in travel, millions of tourists grew interested in spending time with nature.

Among these outdoor activities are hiking and visiting national parks and zoos. More and more people went out to see some wild animals and grew fond of them. However, wildlife experts say this can be disturbing to wild species, especially when humans get too close.

Just being near can have major effects on wildlife

(Photo : Unsplash/Stephen Leonardi)

According to a recent review of studies about wildlife conservation, a team of researchers found that a human presence somehow changes animal behavior, such as that in mammals or birds where signs of behavioral changes are seen when hikers come within 300 feet (100 meters)-the length of a football field.

Large birds like eagles and hawks can be affected when humans are over 1,300 feet (400 meters) away-roughly a quarter of a mile. And large mammals like elk and moose can be affected by humans up to 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) away-more than half a mile.

Animals are used to moving freely without humans around, which is why human outdoor activities might negatively affect them like alteration in behavioral patterns. These include fleeing from nearby people, reducing their feeding time, and abandoning their nests.

Moreover, more serious consequences can be generated out of the animals' health and survival, including physiological changes like increase in heart rates and elevated levels of stress hormones.

When habitats become uncomfortable for wildlife species, their search for food, shelter and reproduction are also compromised. Human noise, off-leash dogs, and campsite overuse make their habitat become unusable over time.

In order to reduce long-term effects of biodiversity crisis, people should observe balance in their outdoor activities, sustainable use, and conservation.

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Human presence varies for different species

From the 330 peer-reviewed articles examined by researchers, the team found that motorized activities have a bigger impact in wildlife species than dispersed 'quiet' activities like day hiking, biking and wildlife viewing, but this can vary among animals.

Some species may be disturbed by humans nearby, even without use of motorboats or all-terrain vehicles, while others have harder time detecting quiet humans so being around motorized vehicles can be more surprising.

Furthermore, some animals have history of being hunted more by people walking around than a person in a vehicle. Overall, larger animals need more distance for birds than mammals. As for now, no enough evidence shows that impacts are the same for amphibians and reptiles, such as lizards, frogs, turtles and snakes.

Some simple actions to minimize impacts on wildlife is to keep distance, respect closed areas and stay on trails, and being educated about animals' behavior to help maintain undisturbed areas, especially now that many wild habitats have shifted due to climate change.

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