Urban wildlife reveal tensions between different worldviews

Urban life is often said to disconnect people from nature. But what happens when wildlife ventures into cities and learn to thrive in this human domain? In a recently published paper, SERSD graduate Kinga Psiuk and Centre researcher Johan Enqvist study the views and values underpinning polarisation around urban baboons in Cape Town, South Africa.

On one side, some residents are driven by values like universalism and benevolence, advocating for peaceful coexistence if only humans could learn to adapt by securing waste bins and keeping doors and windows shut. Others are driven by values including tradition, conformity and power, seeing a need to control baboons through better aversive management methods to prevent them from getting habituated to human environments.

Importantly, the study also shows areas of agreement. People reject abusive language towards baboons, recognize that solutions must take different contexts and values into account, and see a need for collaboration to resolve the conflict.