Animals fear humans more than lions; study suggests impact of ‘superior predator’: ‘It shows we really are terrifying to animals’

Lions, who are often described as ‘the king of the jungle,’ have been painted as valiant beasts who rule other animals. Particularly in the storybooks learned from childhood, the large felines are written as the apex predators that other animals fear. However, that’s not the case in reality. The studies suggest that animals are more frightened of humans than of the predators in the forests. Highlighting the impression people leave on other creatures of the planet, researchers claimed that the adaptation of heavy weaponry and animal hunting has led animals to fear humans more. Here’s a closer look at why animals feel threatened by the existence of humans in their terrain. Lions had a long reputation as ‘apex predators,’ but humans have toppled that position, now describing them as ‘superior predators.’ The new study mentions that wild animals are twice as likely to run away and abandon their waterholes by 40% after hearing human conversations, per researchers working in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park – one of the largest lion populations. “Fear of humans significantly exceeded that of lions throughout the savanna mammal community,” the paper published in Current Biology cited. The species that ran away or abandoned include 95% of the population, including giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthog and impala. The lead researcher, Prof Liana Zanette, from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, voiced the fear she noticed in the animals. The animals were made to hear men and women converse calmly in their local language. “Lions should be the scariest thing out there – but humans were much scarier… It shows we really are terrifying to animals,” she said, highlighting the magnitude of pain and panic caused by humans. Calling the research ‘amazing, but depressing,’ the professor continued, “If the fear of humans is so pervasive, and happens to all animals out there on our planet, then it really adds a new dimension to the worldwide environmental impacts that humans might be having,” expressing the disastrous footprint left by people on the planet. Humans have preyed on animals more than the apex predators of the jungles, as per the surveys conducted in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, per The Guardian. The title of ‘superior predators’ is gained due to the heavy use of deadly machinery and weapons to hunt other species. Moreover, the research from other regions shows that mountain lions, wild boars, deer, kangaroos, and wallabies are more afraid of humans than the apex predators of their terrain. The researchers believe that the human-induced ‘landscape of fear’ will likely affect the food chain, even for rodents and plants. As animal movement changes after sensing human existence, this phenomenon shall have ecological consequences.