Human-animal conflict
Human-animal conflict is when encounters between humans and wildlife lead to negative outcomes, such as jeopardising a species' survival, compromising the stability of the food web, and even the loss of animal or human life.
As human populations and demand for space and resources grow, people and wildlife are competing for resources, thus leading to conflict.
What defines human-animal conflict?
The conflict between humans and animals can result in the eradication of species, as well as threats to health and safety, food security and wildlife habitats. The problem affects both humans and animals alike.
Sadly, human-animal conflict often results in humans culling the animals that are causing issues in their lives, such as destroying or eating vegetation on farmland. Some examples of human-animal conflict include wildlife being killed on UK roads, shooting birds or hunting mammals for entertainment or leaving fishing nets floating in the ocean to carry on killing fish, mammals and birds.
Animal culling is not only a cruel practice, but is rarely effective. Choosing compassionate conservation methods such as coexistence, vaccination programmes (e.g. TB vaccines and immunocontraception) using audio, visual or olfactory deterrents as well as vegan conservationism (such as drinking plant-based milk instead of animal milk) is not only kinder, but in many cases is also more effective.
Verify Humanity's Project
Wildlife is struggling to live alongside us. From road traffic to pest control to entertainment killing, we're rapidly changing the world around animals. What's more, current conservation methods aimed at resolving human-wildlife conflict often create more issues because they are invasive, violent or lethal.
Verify Humanity is researching human-wildlife conflict in the UK and compassionate solutions. We hope our research will guide individuals when purchasing products or services to resolve these conflicts, thus finding kinder solutions that protect our wildlife from cruelty or death. Please help our research by taking the HAC Survey.
Human-Gull Coexistence
The UK's gulls are commonly misunderstood and underappreciated. Conflict between gulls and humans is extremely prevalent in the UK, and Verify Humanity seeks to foster coexistence by educating the public.