Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran.
Large carnivore attacks on humans are a serious form of human-wildlife interaction which has increased globally in recent decades. When attacks occur, both humans and large carnivores suffer, highlighting the need to characterize these conflicts toward mitigation of attacks. We investigated brown be...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2021-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255042 |
| _version_ | 1829490157292617728 |
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| author | Jamshid Parchizadeh Jerrold L Belant |
| author_facet | Jamshid Parchizadeh Jerrold L Belant |
| author_sort | Jamshid Parchizadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Large carnivore attacks on humans are a serious form of human-wildlife interaction which has increased globally in recent decades. When attacks occur, both humans and large carnivores suffer, highlighting the need to characterize these conflicts toward mitigation of attacks. We investigated brown bear (Ursus arctos) and Persian leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks on humans across Iran using reports provided by the Government of Iran during 2012-2020. We characterized temporal and spatial patterns of attacks, as well as species-specific attributes. We identified 83 attacks resulting in 77 human injuries and 6 fatalities. Bears were responsible for more attacks (63%) than leopards (37%). Attacks occurred more frequently during defensive reactions by bears and leopards on adult male people while livestock herding during the day in spring and summer. Bears reportedly attacked people more often in western provinces of Iran, while leopards attacked more frequently in northern provinces. We recommend that the Iran Department of the Environment consider implementing a national reporting system to document bear and leopard attacks on people. We further suggest development of national bear and leopard management plans that emphasize mitigating human risk to improve human attitudes toward these carnivore species to facilitate their conservation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:19:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01357b6650f74f5e9063b6fda9272985 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:19:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-01357b6650f74f5e9063b6fda92729852022-12-21T22:42:21ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01167e025504210.1371/journal.pone.0255042Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran.Jamshid ParchizadehJerrold L BelantLarge carnivore attacks on humans are a serious form of human-wildlife interaction which has increased globally in recent decades. When attacks occur, both humans and large carnivores suffer, highlighting the need to characterize these conflicts toward mitigation of attacks. We investigated brown bear (Ursus arctos) and Persian leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks on humans across Iran using reports provided by the Government of Iran during 2012-2020. We characterized temporal and spatial patterns of attacks, as well as species-specific attributes. We identified 83 attacks resulting in 77 human injuries and 6 fatalities. Bears were responsible for more attacks (63%) than leopards (37%). Attacks occurred more frequently during defensive reactions by bears and leopards on adult male people while livestock herding during the day in spring and summer. Bears reportedly attacked people more often in western provinces of Iran, while leopards attacked more frequently in northern provinces. We recommend that the Iran Department of the Environment consider implementing a national reporting system to document bear and leopard attacks on people. We further suggest development of national bear and leopard management plans that emphasize mitigating human risk to improve human attitudes toward these carnivore species to facilitate their conservation.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255042 |
| spellingShingle | Jamshid Parchizadeh Jerrold L Belant Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. PLoS ONE |
| title | Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. |
| title_full | Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. |
| title_fullStr | Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. |
| title_short | Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. |
| title_sort | brown bear and persian leopard attacks on humans in iran |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255042 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jamshidparchizadeh brownbearandpersianleopardattacksonhumansiniran AT jerroldlbelant brownbearandpersianleopardattacksonhumansiniran |