Australian study into how seals react to boats prompts new ecotourism regulations

(Pensoft Publishers) Unable to differentiate between a predator and a tourist boat, seals react as soon as they sense a potential threat. The closer a vessel approaches, the more likely it is for the animals to rush to the water and the greater the risk of a stampede or predation in the sea. To inform management guidelines, researchers observed a colony on Kanowna Island, Bass Strait. Their study is published in the open-access journal Nature Conservation.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2SYS8Pa