Love, terror, mirth, disgust -- animals can evoke our strongest emotions; and our perception of creatures is shaped, in part, by culture, researchers say.
Protect, kill or eat? —
Love, terror, mirth, disgust -- animals can evoke our strongest emotions; and our perception of creatures is shaped, in part, by culture, researchers say.
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It's why you might reel at the thought of eating a guinea pig -- a popular delicacy in Ecuador -- but jump at the chance to chow down on a lamb chop.
From pet pen to plate —
It's why you might reel at the thought of eating a guinea pig -- a popular delicacy in Ecuador -- but jump at the chance to chow down on a lamb chop.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/FILE
Our emotional connection to animals is so strong that people have threatened to take a human life when an animal's existence is at stake. In January 2014, a safari club in the United States auctioned a <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2014%2F01%2F16%2Fus%2Fblack-rhino-hunting-permit%2F%3Fhpt%3Dus_r1">permit to hunt a rare, but old, black rhino</a>, with the endorsement of the world's largest group of conservation scientists, the IUCN . The winner, who bought the permit for $350,000, had to hire private security detail after his family received death threats.
Hunter or hunted? —
Our emotional connection to animals is so strong that people have threatened to take a human life when an animal's existence is at stake. In January 2014, a safari club in the United States auctioned a permit to hunt a rare, but old, black rhino, with the endorsement of the world's largest group of conservation scientists, the IUCN . The winner, who bought the permit for $350,000, had to hire private security detail after his family received death threats.
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And scientists aren't immune from this attraction -- researchers have found that large, dangerous or cuddly animals get more attention when it comes to conservation funds and academic papers than other species that are just as important, ecologically.
Survival of the cutest —
And scientists aren't immune from this attraction -- researchers have found that large, dangerous or cuddly animals get more attention when it comes to conservation funds and academic papers than other species that are just as important, ecologically.
SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images
They may not be as glamorous as pandas, tigers, or orangutans, but nearly one-third of amphibian species are on the verge on extinction. This Hula Painted Frog (Discoglossus nigriventer), which is found in Lake Huma, Israel, is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and was thought to be extinct until 2011.
Ugly but useful —
They may not be as glamorous as pandas, tigers, or orangutans, but nearly one-third of amphibian species are on the verge on extinction. This Hula Painted Frog (Discoglossus nigriventer), which is found in Lake Huma, Israel, is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and was thought to be extinct until 2011.
Copyright Oz Rittner
Images of <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2014%2F01%2F20%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fjapan-dolphin-hunt%2F">bottlenose dolphins being herded</a> into Japan's Taiji Cove sparked outrage among international conservation groups last month. Some of the animals were selected to be sold into captivity, while others to be killed for meat. But many in Japan defend the practice as a local custom, and claim Western critics who eat other meat are hypocritical.
Too cute to kill? —
Images of bottlenose dolphins being herded into Japan's Taiji Cove sparked outrage among international conservation groups last month. Some of the animals were selected to be sold into captivity, while others to be killed for meat. But many in Japan defend the practice as a local custom, and claim Western critics who eat other meat are hypocritical.
Roland Weihrauch/DPA/Getty Images
Beef may be popular in the United States -- Americans consume a whopping 11.5 million tons of the meat each year -- but in India, where cows are seen as holy among Hindus, slaughtering this creature is so controversial it has sparked riots. In December 2013, an angry mob burned 74 trucks and buses along the Delhi-Jaipur Highway after hearing rumors that a broken-down truck was loaded with cow meat.
Holy cow —
Beef may be popular in the United States -- Americans consume a whopping 11.5 million tons of the meat each year -- but in India, where cows are seen as holy among Hindus, slaughtering this creature is so controversial it has sparked riots. In December 2013, an angry mob burned 74 trucks and buses along the Delhi-Jaipur Highway after hearing rumors that a broken-down truck was loaded with cow meat.
PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images/FILE
But our perceptions can change. Sharks, once seen as man-eaters, are more likely to attract the attention of conservationists who argue that humans pose a greater risk to these creatures than they do to us. People kill almost 100 million sharks each year, according to a 2013 study in the Marine Policy journal. In comparison, 118 shark attacks occurred in the whole world in 2012 -- 80 of which were unprovoked.
Image makeover —
But our perceptions can change. Sharks, once seen as man-eaters, are more likely to attract the attention of conservationists who argue that humans pose a greater risk to these creatures than they do to us. People kill almost 100 million sharks each year, according to a 2013 study in the Marine Policy journal. In comparison, 118 shark attacks occurred in the whole world in 2012 -- 80 of which were unprovoked.