Photos of wildlife on social media have the power to boost conservation by depicting predators not only as beautiful, but as similar to domestic pets.
A new study has found that, through their millions of followers, Instagram and Facebook can steer public engagement and awareness toward support for predators like wildcats, who are sometimes shot and poisoned by farmers.
The research was based on the caracal wildcat — a native of Africa with prominent, tufted ears — whose similarity to house cats has brought thousands of followers to internet streams about conserving the elegant felines, a press release from Taylor & Francis said.
The researchers point out that “charismatic” smaller mammals like the caracal can be “flagship species” for getting the word out about the purposes of scientific research in areas that are rapidly urbanizing.
“Using an aesthetic species such as the caracal is an effective way to capture public attention to communicate the importance of conserving urban wildlife,” said …