Many of the world's top carnivore and human-wildlife conflict scientists have participated in the Center for Wildlife Studies' "Wildlife Cornicles." These types of virtual, public discussions during the pandemic is a valuable source of current research trends and source of inspiration. I was honored to join Dr Sunetro Ghosal to discuss all things big cats in India with a emphasis on boundary making, politics, and human-human conflict within the human-wildlife conflict debates.
Setting boundaries and compartmentalizing space is a very instinctive process for people. The idea of national park boundaries, compound walls and even some cultural boundaries meant to keep wildlife separate from humans is a very common practice. Adaptable Big cats such as leopards, and even tigers, walk all over these boundaries with extreme ease. This topic explores the surprising roles, often political ones, that we humans assign to leopards and tigers as a result of human-human conflicts. You can watch this candid and relaxed discussion on Youtube linked here and above. The popular docuseries fails to address issues critical to tiger conservation, but we can all learn from what it leaves out. My colleague Sharon Wilcox and I wrote an op-ed for The Revelator one what Tiger King shows us about much broader issues on exhibit during the show. "Last month Netflix unleashed its captivating but sensationalized docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. The public, hungry for something new to binge-watch while they sheltered in place in the developing pandemic, quickly ate it up and made it a pop-culture sensation in a wave of social-media posts, memes and virtual water-cooler discussions. But amidst all this amusement, shock, titillation and general confusion, the tragic story of the tigers at the heart of Tiger King has been eclipsed by the outsized egos of their human captors. Looking beyond the “Hatfields and the McCoys” approach of the series to examine the issues the program fails to dig into, we find several key lessons about the threats tigers and other charismatic species face in a world that values them more as entertainment than as wild animals and living creatures." Continue reading the op-ed here, for the five lessons we point out. This op-ed is a great tool for anyone teaching human-animal relations, human-wildlife conflict, illegal wildlife trade, and more. Particulalry this op-ed has tie ins to lessons on the nexus of the attention economy, ego, animals, and more.
Dr. Melissa Johnson, Professor of Anthropology at Southwestern University, invited me to give a research talk on my work in India this spring. April 18th, I will be joining her, faculty and students from across several disciplines at Southwestern to talk about the multi-species relationships that changed across the plane of spatially irregular removal, reintroduction and tiger mobility as a result of the extirpation and reintroduction of tigers to Sariska Tiger Reserve.
My research, published earlier this year, found the original vs reintroduced tigers of Sariska Tiger Reserve are perceived (evident throughout 52 focus groups) to have differing spatial personalities--causing a mismatch of expectations & boundary negotiations between people and the reintroduced tigers.
On November 13, 2018, this research was highlighted on TheRevelator.com, an initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity. Read the essay here.
I am teaching an upper level geography course, Contemporary Cultural Geography, at UT-Austin this Fall 2018. This course carries with it several distinguishing “flags,” such as Independent Inquiry, Cultural Diversity, and a Writing Emphasis Flag.
I pride myself on creating diverse projects for my classes that encourage a critical research ethos and provide my student’s with new skills. For this class, I designed their first project as a “Counter-narrative Walking Tour” that included the use of story maps. Through independent research, students chose a place-specific counter-narrative to tell in their home town or Austin, TX through an informative “virtual walking tour” (via story maps). The counter-narratives could be cultural, social, political, etc., for example: marginalized populations, youth, subcultures, historical events, regional/local foods, industries, activism, etc. Treat yourself to a few of these compelling Counter-Narratives Story Maps below. *Note the story maps are only part of the larger project. As a scientist there is no greater joy than having your work impact on-the-ground change and thinking. In 2012, I decided to design and implement a social science project to help save endangered tigers. The logistics, location, and know-how would all have to come later. Thankfully it worked and I finished a five year study of the human dimensions of rewilding Sariska Tiger Reserve in May 2018. This project reached the ultimate goal barely four months after I submitted my dissertation and had the first chapter published. Not a publication, or grant, or award, but so much more! My work actually influenced a tiger reintroduction practitioner’s thinking, research design, and reintroduction plans. Thomas NE Gray, Director of Science and Global Development of Wildlife Alliance, has worked in Cambodia for more than ten years and is leading research on tiger reintroduction in two Cambodian landscapes. Thomas reached out last week for my expertise in research design and to talk about adding a more substantial study element focused on the human dimensions of reintroduction, with a focus on hidden costs, in Cambodia. He and I are in early talks of collaboration with a focus on funding student(s) interested in building off my method and theoretical approach to studying the human dimensions of tiger reintroduction. While the future is unknown, what matters now, is that my work has influenced the thinking of a biologist working on tiger reintroduction in Cambodia! It. Does. Not. Get. Better. While India and Cambodia have vastly different cultural landscapes with nearly reversed human-wildlife relations there are still generalizable take-away from my work in Sariska that apply to any and all apex predator reintroduction programs and studies. The unattainable goal of contributing to tiger conservation has come to fruition with these early conversations and I look forward to continuing this work to save one of the world’s greatest treasures. Other signs of this work’s influence in under 4 months of publication are citations in PLoS One in a paper addressing drivers of human-leopard conflict, a dissertation on African wild dogs, and a forthcoming publication on increasing legitimacy of conservation NGO’s in the eyes of local stakeholders. My research can be read in full [with a heavy dose of context] currently via my dissertation: Rewilding Expectations: Human-Environmental Relations in Context of Apex Predator Reintroduction in Rajasthan, India. Two chapters are currently under review and I will post links when those publications become available for more succinct reading. Please reach out with any questions or collaboration ideas! #consocsci #humandimensions #hwc #tigerconservation Tracking the Human-Wildlife-Conservation Nexus Across the HAS Landscape, in Society & Animals 26(2).6/30/2018
Co-editors Monica Ogra and Julie Urbanik published a special issue this summer titled, Tracking the Human-Wildlife-Conservation Nexus Across the Human-Animal Studies (HAS) Landscape, in Society and Animals 26(2). I was a pleasure to contribute, representing Animal Geography among seven other disciplines in the issue (advocacy groups, ecology, environmental studies, ethics, legal studies, science and technology studies (STS), and sociology).
My article is titled, Human-Tiger (Re)Negotiations: A Case Study from Sariska Tiger Reserve, India.
Monica and Julie said, "While issues affecting wildlife have been addressed broadly in the pages of Society & Animals, the journal had not yet focused a set of papers around how wildlife conservation (as a distinctly human practice and set of processes) continually shapes relationships between humans and this subset of nonhuman animals. Given that the recently publicized cases of Cecil the Lion’s death (and the death of one of his sons) by western trophy hunters in Zimbabwe, the killing of the captive silverback gorilla Harambe at an American zoo, the culling of “surplus” zoo lion cubs and giraffes and public autopsy performances in Denmark, and the relocation (or incarceration, depending on the speaker) of the wild tiger Ustad/T-24 following his fatal attack of a wildlife reserve staff member in India (just to name a few incidents in recent memory) all occurred at this nexus of humans-wildlife-conservation, we felt it was time to address this gap. Our goals with the special issue were to (1) bring wildlife conservation into the journal more prominently, and (2) promote a more intentionally interdisciplinary dialogue about wildlife conservation. To this end, we invited proposals for papers that would define “wildlife” and “wildlife conservation” in their disciplinary context and illustrate new ideas about human-wildlife-conservation via an illustrative, place-based case study. By taking this approach, we hoped to be able to showcase a wide-range of theoretical frameworks in this exciting arena of HAS." Read more about this special issue and it's contributors in the Animal Geography Special Group of the AAG, 2018 Newsletter. Last year I was put in contact with David Williamson, a taxidermist in central Texas, who was “sole searching,” as he put it. David was in the accounting world for most of his career but shortly after moving to Austin he decided to give the family business a chance. Once David put his intentions and energy into taxidermy his questions on ethics, conservation, local community impacts (for US and hunting abroad), and theoretical questions of “wilderness” were ever present. Without an outlet to discuss these things within his professional network, a mutual friend put us in touch. Needless to say, we have had many long conversations about everything between the effects of lion hunting (1; 2; 3) to the slow food movement. The main point of our conversations though has been trophy hunting. Right off the bat David told me, “I want to make sure that what I'm putting my life's energy towards is not only good for me but also good for the planet and wildlife.” Taxidermy to David is “tangible art,” he has grown to enjoy, but his experience growing up in his dad’s shop left a bad taste for hunters. Confronting those feelings, he started doing some research and began to see the benefits hunting can bring to conservation of public and private lands. This is where our conversations began. David first went to the scientific literature (yes, for real) to start understanding his own perceptions of hunting and hunters: "'I'm beginning to realize my negative viewpoint on hunters is because the only hunters I've dealt with [in the taxidermy shop] are the "dominionistic/sport" hunters. Let me explain my terms: There was a fascinating study done (Kellert 1978) in the 70's which attempted to explain the dichotomy between hunters and anti-hunters. In the study, which I believe to be just as relevant to today, they realized that all hunters can't be lumped into one category, just like you can't lump all anti-hunters into one category. They broke hunters into three categories:
David's eagerness to understand the hunting-conservation nexus at its roots and through each step of the chain from traditions, local impacts, conservation +/-, and drivers for trophies is compelling. Taxidermists are thought of as the “last step” with little to no influence in the other components. However, shops like David’s are actually a central recurring connection between the places, people, wildlife, and traditions that sustain trophy hunting. Trophy hunting is a collective hobby strengthened by stories, experiences, and displays of accomplishment. That display starts with a photo after the kill (more and more important in the age of the attention economy, aka social media) and is further solidified with a taxidermy trophy. Taxidermists are a trusted element in this process and their shops have a huge role to play in perpetuating norms and narratives around hunting. As customers are often repeat visitors, who bring their friends or kids in to the shop and use the space to relive hunts and share insights. A taxidermist with knowledge of the issues, who questions their clients (in an inquisitive and supportive way), and has recommendations is a powerful advocate for conservation. David and I agree: "[taxidermists] can have the conversations with the Dominionistic/sport (39%) type of hunter and hopefully steer them to better decisions. For example, I have a client planning to go to Africa next year to hunt a lion and I'd love to be able to be speak with him in an informed way. …. I also see myself having a role as mediator between hunters and anti-hunters. I believe that all 3 types of hunters can be used to benefit wildlife. To begin connecting with outfitters that are ethical and sustainable would be amazing!" And that part of next steps! David and I hope to work together on several fronts.
If you have resources or ideas we’d love to hear from you: [email protected] My first interview as Dr. Doubleday was for the blog The Jaguar & It's Allies, managed by Josh Gross. This fantastic blog brings together wild cat conservation and human psychology through article reviews, recommended reading, and interview spotlights of wild cat researchers. Josh asked great questions that provide insight into my research, the big questions I'm interested in, and highlight a few pieces of fieldwork advice for solo female researchers working in patriarchal societies with all-male research teams.
Read the interview here. Last week NatGeo contributor Jason Bittel reached out to talk about "the world's most famous tiger," Machli for the upcoming Big Cat Week series on NatGeo Wild. I anticipated being a source to support his article on Machli, but was surprised to find the article took on an interview style. Read it here and catch the episode Dec. 12 and 8pm CT on NatGeoWild. Machli was a world-wide celebrity bringing in millions of dollars to India from tourism, stamps, books and other merchandise. As a big cat admirer from a young age I had watched the several documentaries on NatGeo of Machli's life. When I was working in India in 2014 I heard rumors and then saw local news media highlighting the Forest Department's considerations of taxidermying Machli after she died. She was so famous and so beloved the Forest Department's fleeting idea to preserve her in perpetuity for future generations was understandable by some but generally caused uproar from the masses. The British Raj is saturated with images of military personnel and dignitaries standing over the carcasses of tigers. This history in tandem with India's post-Independence hunting ban (1972) likely lead to the public's heated reaction to the plan of taxiderming Machli.
But this was just the first of two major debates. With interspecific fighting in Ranthambhore, human-tiger conflict, and the general difficulties of tiger life, Machli became a natural enigma: an elderly tigress. Machli at 19 year old, without her canine teeth and blind in one eye, became an ethical conundrum. The Forest Department was forced to confront Machli's reality of starvation in hr current state or, to do something about it and feed her. The chose the later. I explore the consequences in an article published in Geoforum in early 2017. |