Scientists investigated which animals in the zoo least want to see people

According to a study by British scientists, amphibians were the least friendly to visitors among the animals living in the zoo, showing a negative reaction to people more often. It was noted that elephants and parrots were more likely to show interest in people. These findings were published in the journal Animals.

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The research is aimed at studying the relationship between animals and zoo visitors. Although zoos try to create as natural an environment as possible for their inhabitants, they are constantly in the center of human attention, which makes their lives different from natural conditions. This can have a negative impact on some animals, especially primates, while other animals may be indifferent or even interested in interacting with visitors.

Scientists from Harper Adams University, together with their British colleagues, analyzed 105 scientific papers on the reaction of animals to zoo visitors. The study covered 252 species of animals that do not include primates.

The results of the study showed that elephants (Proboscidea) and parrots (Psittaciformes) had the most positive reaction to zoo visitors. This means that they themselves showed interest in people, approached them and attracted their attention.

Most other animal species showed a neutral reaction to the presence of people, and their behavior did not change as a result of the observations. Amphibians, especially tailless amphibians (Anura), most often showed a negative reaction to visitors, avoiding them and becoming alert when approached.

Earlier, scientists finally found the answer to the long-standing mystery of the first multicellular animal on Earth.

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