Talking about carnivores means talking about culture, emotional symbolism
From Buckrail:
JACKSON, Wyo. — As highlighted in the 2023 Jackson Hole Wildlife Symposium, now is the time to talk about coexistence, particularly with large carnivores. However, experts suggest conversations about conflict are more rooted in the “cultural and social baggage” placed on predators than they are in the ecological considerations of coexistence.
According to Aaron Bott, a wolf biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, large carnivores are consistently interpreted as cultural and emotional symbols despite being biological entities.
