Wildlife Viewing Spectacles: Best Practices from Elephant Seal (Mirounga sp.) Colonies

Abstract

Wildlife viewing spectacles that are accessible to the public are immensely popular, raise revenue, contribute to livelihoods, create awareness, and often support conservation. When spectacles are in the commons, they are vulnerable to overuse and ruin. Our aim was to identify best practices that provide access to the animals without disturbing them. Herein, we examine spectacles where thousands of people may view thousands of wild animals at predictable sites and times. We describe the viewing programs at three distinct sites where elephant seals (Mirounga sp.) breed: Año Nuevo and Piedras Blancas in California, and Península Valdés in Argentina. We compare the viewing operations with respect to mission, resources and accessibility, and the relationship between viewer number and colony growth, and then we report on the quality of the viewing experience. For best practices, we drew on 67 years of summed field research on these animals by both of us and with our familiarity with viewing programs at these sites. We conclude that five practices reduce viewer impact and enhance the viewing experience: (1) restricting visitor numbers and access to the animals; (2) monitoring impact of viewing on the animals and their habitat; (3) encouraging fundamental research of the animals on site; (4) using trained volunteer guides to interpret the attraction when possible; and (5) requiring independent oversight of commercial operations. All wildlife viewing operations could benefit from adherence to these practices when applicable. At their best, wildlife viewing spectacles are a showcase for sound conservation management and provide an inspirational experience that, for many, is akin to visiting the most sacred cultural places of humankind.

Variation in behavioral responses of the South American sea lion to tourism disturbance: Implications for tourism management

“…Other restrictions should be explored, such as limiting or even closing permits to the breeding sites of a colony to protect lactating females and their pups. The establishment of these practices not only protects the animals being viewed and their habitat but it also provides tourists with a rich, natural, and memorable experience without endangering the wildlife welfare (Le Boeuf and Campagna ).…”

Human activities disturb haul out and nursing behavior of Pacific harbor seals at Punta Banda Estuary, Mexico

“…In contrast, elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina and M . angustirostris ) present unusually robust responses to human disturbance, with visitors to the Año Nuevo Nature Reserve, California, permitted to approach northern elephant seals up to a minimum of 8 m, even at which distance the presence of humans does not disturb them [ 53 ].…”

Cálculo de acogida turística multicriterio (catum), caso de estudio Haynes cay, ubicado en el Archipelago de San Andrés- Colombia (reserva mundial de la biósfera - “seaflower”)

“…This is presented as an ideal and unique place to observe whales together with their young in their natural habitat. Such characteristics make it the main attraction for tourists, even when the high season coincides with the reproductive season of elephant seals (Le Boeuf & Campagna, 2013), leaving them in second place within the expectations of the tourists. For the tour guides, elephant seals also have a secondary place as a resource during regular excursions in Peninsula Valdes, where the available time is determined by the duration of the whale sighting navigation in Puerto Piramides.…”