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The Animal Welfare Challenge to Hunting At Cape Cod National Seashore: Social Psychology and Resource Management Walter F. Kuentzel Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont
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Pro-Hunting/Anti-Hunting Controversy
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What’s All the Fuss? 1961 Enabling Legislation Permitted Hunting Not Many Hunters (~2000) Perhaps 100-200 Low Profile Poor Habitat
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The Legal Challenge http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/wildlife/factshts/pheasant.htm 2002 - Fund for Animals 2003 - Fund for Animals, Humane Society of US, Area Residents Stopped the Pheasant Hunt Conditions Have Changed Ordered an EIS - All Hunting Programs
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How Does Social Psychology Help? Attitude Theory Social Cognition –Social Identity Theory
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Attitudes, Behavior, and the “Educate-the-Public” Myth
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White Pine
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Birch
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Educate the Public? Attitude Structure Attitude Strength Salience Polarization
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Polling Culture? Justify Decisions –Opposition/Support –Avoid Lawsuits –Social Acceptability Participatory Democracy – Identify Stakeholders – Facilitate Discourse – Consensus Building
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Recreation Conflict Goal Interference Activity Style Resource Specificity Mode of Experience Tolerance for Lifestyle Diversity Social Values Conflict Face-to-Face contact not necessary for perceived conflict
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How do we know when people are different? and How do we know when those differences matter? Social Identity Theory 1) Positive In-Group; Negative Out-Group Attributions 2) Variation in Willingness to Attribute Differences 3) Self-Identity and Group Membership
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Hunting Attitudes Group Identification Onsite Conflict Hunter Survey –Field –License –Volunteer Resident Survey –6 Cape Towns –Seashore Property
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Mailed Questionnaire August – Sept., 2005 5-Contact Protocol Hunter – 60.4% (n=413) Resident – 57.9% (n=754)
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Pro-Hunting/Anti-Hunting Scale 8 Pro-Hunting Statements – 8 Anti-Hunting Statements (Adapted from Wood, 1997) Examples: Pro-Hunting Hunting is an important wildlife management tool Hunting should be supported, because it is an important tradition in American culture Examples: Anti-Hunting Hunting encourages a culture of violence in today’s society Hunting is cruel, because hunters wound and cripple too many animals Additive Index from -32 to +32
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Attitudes About Hunting
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Social Identity Scale 5 Semantic Differential Scales Quiet-Loud Safe-Unsafe Humble-Arrogant Courteous-Discourteous Friendly-Unfriendly Sum the Differences – Average – 0 to 96
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Importance of Group Differences
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Onsite Conflict Hunters: I have been harassed by people who were not hunting at the Seashore. Residents: I have felt unsafe seeing people hunting in the Seashore. I have felt unsafe hearing shots from people hunting at the Seashore. 4-Point Scale: 1)No, not at all 2)No, not much 3)Yes, somewhat 4)Yes, definitely
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Hunter Harassment How were you harassed? (n=323, 46.5%) 94 – Verbal abuse 15 – Noise (car horns, whistles, loud music 42 – Field protests 5 – Obscene gestures 6 – Called the authorities 7 – other (frightening dogs, scratching vehicles
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Hunter Harassment What did you do about it? 44 – Ignored them, went about my business 61 – Moved away, continued my hunt 14 – Talked with the people 7 – Contacted Seashore officials 14 – Left the Seashore 6 - Other
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Hunter Arguments What was the argument about? (n=47, 13.4%) 16 – Anti-hunting 2 – Pheasants 7 – Hunters and safety 2 – Conflicting activities 15 – Miscellaneous hunting issues 5 – Not specified
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Residents Who Felt Unsafe Around Hunters What did you do about it? (n=232, 33.6%) 60 – I did nothing 16 – Contacted Seashore officials 14 – Wore blaze orange 49 – Moved away from hunters 56 – Left the Seashore 5 – Asked hunters to move 23 - Other
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Residents Who Felt Unsafe Hearing Shots What did you do about it? (n=236, 35.6%) 78 – I did nothing 12 – Contacted Seashore officials 7 – Wore blaze orange 42 – Moved away from hunters 54 – Left the Seashore 5 – Asked hunter to move 28 - Other
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Onsite Conflict Model Pro-Hunting/Anti-Hunting (Attitudes) Group Formation (Social Identity) Onsite Conflict
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Siege Mentality vs. the Dirty Bastard Spiral Hunters - Siege Mentality Social Identity – Harassment – Polarization
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Importance of Group Differences
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Siege Mentality vs. the Dirty Bastard Spiral Residents – Dirty Bastard Spiral Anti-Hunting Attitudes – Fear – Social Identity
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Attitudes About Hunting
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Norms and Onsite Conflict
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Norms and Cape Cod Hunting Very Acceptable Very Unacceptable
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Norms and Cape Cod Hunting Very Acceptable Very Unacceptable
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Predicting Behavior?
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