Changes in Media Portrayal of Human-wildlife Conflict During Successive Fatal Shark Bites
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Date
2018-07-02
Authors
Sabatier, Etienne
Huveneers, Charlie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer
Rights
Copyright: © Sabatier and Huveneers 2018. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use and distribution of the article, provided the original work is cited. Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow, Mumbai | Managed by
the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore.
Rights Holder
Copyright: © Sabatier and Huveneers 2018.
Abstract
Encounters between humans and wildlife that result in human fatalities can generate public anxiety and increase
pressure on conservation managers and governments for risk mitigation. Low probability-high consequence
events such as shark bites on humans attract substantial media attention for short time periods, but how the media
react when several of these rare but fatal events occur in quick succession has seldom been subject to quantitative
analysis. Understanding media portrayal of such encounters is important because it both reflects and influences
public perceptions of risks, mitigation measures, and conservation policies. This study examined media portrayals
of sharks between 2011 and 2013 in the state of Western Australia during which six shark bites resulting in fatalities
occurred. We analysed 361 shark-related articles published in major Western Australian newspapers over 26 months
to trace changes in media reporting about sharks prior to, during, and after the six fatalities. The findings indicate
that when rare, but fatal human-wildlife events occur in quick succession, negative framing by media of wildlife
behaviour and threats can exaggerate public anxiety about the pervasive presence of wildlife predators and high
risk of human fatalities. The study highlights the need for government agencies and conservation scientists to
better engage with media to provide accurate and effective information and advice to swimmers and surfers about
shark ecology and behaviour.
Description
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use and distribution of the article, provided the original work is cited.
Keywords
wildlife conservation, Western Australia, shark attacks, newspapers, mitigation measures, media content analysis, drum-line programme, culling
Citation
Sabatier, E. and Huveneers, C., (2018). Changes in Media Portrayal of Human-wildlife Conflict During Successive Fatal Shark Bites. Conservation and Society 16(3): 338-350.