The close genetic link between humans and other wonderful apes, such as bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas or orangutans, makes these animals very vulnerable to our infectious diseases. In a new study, a foreign team of experts from Portugal, the United Kingdom, Uganda and Germany investigated the habit and expectations of tourists visiting great apes in relation to their willingness to comply with disease protection measures. This study was conducted at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, when researchers also created the Protect Great Apes from Disease initiative.
The scientists asked about 1,000 tourists or potential long-term tourists to complete an online questionnaire. Analysis of their responses revealed that willingness to comply with disease prevention measures, such as wearing a mask, depended on several factors, in addition to nationality, expectations about the guest experience. and whether the participants’ idea expresses disease threat measures were effective.
“We have developed fabrics for guest education and consultant education for use in African wonder ape tourism sites,” said the study’s lead author, Ana Nuno, a sustainability researcher at NOVA University in Lisbon. “To do this, we first explored which points appear to be guest compliance with disease mitigation measures. “
“This included asking them about their movements on previous visits, their willingness to comply in the future, and exploring points to publicize to increase their willingness to comply with recommendations. To do this, we adapted a tool from the fitness literature that is I used to perceive why Americans might or would not act in the face of a health threat.
“Thanks to this wonderful understanding of visitors to Africa’s wild wonder ape tourist sites, we were able to identify tactics to reduce disease transmission,” added study co-author Kim Hockings, an expert in ecology and conservation at the University of Exeter. .
According to Dr. Hockings, this is vital not only in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to prepare for long-term pandemics, when data will first be limited, but preventive action will be required urgently.
Compared to other disease mitigation measures, participants expressed less willingness to get vaccinated as opposed to COVID-19, wear a walking mask, or quarantine after a holiday abroad before visiting the monkeys. Fortunately, most respondents seemed willing to wear a mask when they were around animals. Believing that each express measure was effective in preventing the disease was very important for participants to be willing to adhere to this recommendation.
“In the face of expanding threats from pandemics in the long term, we want to minimize disease transmission and ensure that tourism and studies foster long-term conservation of wonderful apes and their habitats, as well as maximize benefits for local communities,” he said. Dr. Hockings concluded.
He is published in the journal Gente y Naturaleza.
—
By Andrei Ionescu, editor of Earth. com