Are Smarter Animals Bigger Troublemakers?

Summary: Researchers examined the role of animal cognition in different types of human-wildlife conflict. The study reveals some animals may take more risks if they habituate urban surroundings.

Source: University of Wyoming.

You have probably encountered a raccoon raiding the trash in your neighborhood, seen a rat scurrying through the subway or tried to shoo away birds from your picnic. But have you ever wondered what makes these animals so good at living in suburbs and cities, and whether these same traits also make them such a nuisance?

A new paper in the journal Animal Behaviour written by Lisa P. Barrett, Lauren Stanton and Sarah Benson-Amram, of the University of Wyoming’s Animal Behavior and Cognition Lab, takes an in-depth look at these questions.

The authors examine whether smarter animals might be better at learning to live in cities — but, at the same time, also may come into more conflict with humans. For example, crows’ memories allow them to predict and capitalize on sources of food, such as trash collection routines, but their memories also can bring them into conflict with humans when the birds strew trash on the street or congregate in agricultural fields or on buildings.

Barrett says the research team examined the potential role of animal cognition in different types of human-wildlife conflict, including wildlife killing livestock, stealing food, damaging property, colliding with vehicles, transmitting diseases and even killing humans. The researchers looked at cognitive abilities such as learning, innovative problem-solving, memory and behavioral flexibility.

“Animals that innovate novel ways to solve problems in their environment could drive a type of arms race with humans, where animals and humans work continuously to outsmart one another,” Stanton says.

For example, elephants have been known to pick up and use trees to disable electric fences, and raccoons and kea, a parrot found in New Zealand, frequently open “animal-proof” trash bins. Learning to avoid human-made deterrents, including loud noises and bright lights, also helps animals get past barriers and access resources, rendering human-built blockades ineffective.

In contrast, Benson-Amram notes that “some animals, like coyotes, may learn to minimize contact with humans or avoid humans altogether by increasing nocturnal activity and walking around major freeways.”

a monkey drinking from a soda can on a person's roof
A macaque drinks from a juice carton the animal just stole from some beachgoers at Railay Beach, Thailand. A new paper examines whether smarter animals might be better at learning to live in cities — but, at the same time, also may come into more conflict with humans. NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to Lisa Barrett.

The researchers also investigate how the personalities of different animals, such as an animal’s willingness to take risks or its attraction to new objects, may affect the ability of these animals to thrive near humans or in human-altered landscapes, such as cities. For example, bolder animals are more likely to approach humans in order to steal their lunches, and animals that are attracted to novel objects also are probably more likely to approach houses and cars.

As wildlife, such as coyotes and raccoons, become increasingly common in cities, they may become bolder as they habituate to their urban surroundings. It is critically important for both wildlife and humans to have effective conflict mitigation strategies.

Benson-Amram hopes this research will inspire people to think about the cognitive abilities of animals that they encounter around their homes — and that scientists and wildlife managers will invest even further into research on animal cognition.

“Given increasing human populations and expansion into animal habitat, there is a greater likelihood for human-wildlife conflict,” Benson-Amram says. “Our work illustrates the need for research on a greater number of cognitive abilities in diverse species to understand how we can best mitigate these conflicts.”

About this neuroscience research article

Funding: This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium.

Source: Sarah Benson-Amram – University of Wyoming
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to Lisa Barrett.
Original Research: Abstract for “The cognition of ‘nuisance’ species” by Lisa P. Barrett, Lauren A. Stanton, and Sarah Benson-Amramab in Animal Behaviour. Published May 30 2018
doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.005

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]University of Wyoming “Are Smarter Animals Bigger Troublemakers?.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 18 June 2018.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/animal-intelligence-troublemaking-9370/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]University of Wyoming (2018, June 18). Are Smarter Animals Bigger Troublemakers?. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved June 18, 2018 from https://neurosciencenews.com/animal-intelligence-troublemaking-9370/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]University of Wyoming “Are Smarter Animals Bigger Troublemakers?.” https://neurosciencenews.com/animal-intelligence-troublemaking-9370/ (accessed June 18, 2018).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


Abstract

The cognition of ‘nuisance’ species

Recent work in animal cognition has focused on how animals respond to new or changing environments. Although many species are currently in decline, other species are thriving in human-altered habitats by taking advantage of new resources and opportunities associated with anthropogenic disturbance. Yet, as a result, these same species are often in conflict with humans and treated as a nuisance. Therefore, cognitive abilities such as innovation and behavioural flexibility may, paradoxically, lead to the demise of especially adaptive individuals. Here we review what is known about the cognition of ‘nuisance’ species and ‘problem’ individuals to shed light on the struggles of coexistence with humans along disturbed landscapes. We take an in-depth look at several cognitive abilities that are hypothesized to be of critical importance for species that are successfully utilizing human-altered environments, including neophilia, boldness, categorization, innovation, memory, learning, social learning and behavioural flexibility, and examine evidence that these cognitive abilities may also bring animals into conflict with humans. We also highlight some examples of species that may be using cognitive mechanisms to change their behaviour to avoid conflict with humans. We then discuss the role of animal cognition in current mitigation strategies that have been developed to address human–wildlife conflict. Additionally, we consider the role that human behaviour and perception of animals might play in either worsening or lessening conflict with wildlife. Finally, we propose some directions for future research and suggest that empirical investigation of ‘nuisance’ animal cognition could reveal the cognitive mechanisms underlying adaptation to anthropogenic change as well as help mitigate human–wildlife conflict.

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