ABSTRACT

There are many endangered species that are not popular, but whose conservation is, nonetheless, important. The present study deals with sharks who suffer from demonization and, accordingly, from public indifference to the deteriorating state of their conservation. We used the seasonal appearance of sharks in the Israeli coastal zone to study public perceptions and attitudes towards sharks prior to (‘control group’) and after (‘visitors’) shark watching during a visit in an information centre. We found that the shark’s image was significantly more positive among the visitors compared to the control group. We also found that visiting the information centre was strongly related to a more positive shark image and more positive attitudes toward shark conservation and willingness to act to preserve them.

摘要

有许多不受欢迎的濒危物种，但它们的保护仍然很重要。本研究涉及遭受妖魔化的鲨鱼，因此，公众对其保护状况的恶化漠不关心。我们利用以色列沿海地区鲨鱼的季节性出现来研究公众在访问信息中心期间观看鲨鱼之前（“对照组”）和之后（“访客”）对鲨鱼的看法和态度。我们发现，与对照组相比，游客对鲨鱼的印象明显更积极。我们还发现，访问信息中心与更积极的鲨鱼形象和对鲨鱼保护的更积极态度以及采取行动保护它们的意愿密切相关。