Abstract
Whenever the needs both of humans and wildlife overlap, there is a potential for wildlife damage to occur. Wildlife damage has been an issue throughout human history. Typical history essays about wildlife damage management (WDM) examine a chronology of events on the topic. This paper takes a different approach. Looking through the history of WDM, we considered the driving factors behind changes in the management of wildlife damage. Based on the events of WDM history, we defined 4 factors that underlie major shifts in the management of wildlife damage: human population needs, economic stability, social paradigms, and tools and techniques. To illustrate how these factors affect WDM, we first explained their interplay using the example of knights and dragons. We then considered how these factors changed throughout actual human history by subdividing history into 6 time periods of WDM. We found that managers’ tactics for dealing with wildlife damage do matter; understanding the factors that affect management is important for wildlife damage managers to handle future challenges.
Recommended Citation
Frank, Maureen G. and Conover, Michael R.
(2015)
"Thank Goodness they got all the Dragons: Wildlife Damage Management Through the Ages,"
Human–Wildlife Interactions: Vol. 9:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26077/d35x-zg42
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol9/iss2/3
