Studying the Impact of Human Predatorship on Wildlife

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The chapter explores how fear of predators, including humans, impacts prey animals. Researchers use cameras and speakers in South Africa's Greater Kruger Area to study the reactions of mammals to sounds of both humans and lions, revealing the ecological consequences of human hunting and persecution.

Ian Sample meets the conservation biologist Liana Zanette, whose recently published research demonstrates that humans are now the super predator, inciting more fear in wild animals than even lions. She explains the ramifications of this knowledge for conservation techniques and the protection of endangered animals. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod