Understanding attitudes toward the control of nonnative wild and feral mammals: similarities and differences in the opinions of the general public, animal protectionists, and conservationists in New Zealand (Aotearoa)

Lethal control is used extensively in New Zealand to control non-native non-human mammals. Respondents were surveyed about eight mammal groups considered to be pests and their attitudes towards their control and pest status. They also identified their most appropriate method of control for the eight different mammals. Information was gathered from three groups of respondents: animal protectionists, conservationists and the general public. Conservationists routinely rated all animal groups as more severe pests than the general public or animal protectionists, who provided the lowest scores. Rats, stoats, brushtail possums and rabbits were identified as the four most serious pests by all three groups. Conservationists were 5.7 and 2.6 times more likely to prefer a lethal method of control than protectionists and the general public respectively. For all three groups an increase in pest score for a given animal saw a decline in importance placed upon its welfare. This relationship was strong for the general public but weak for conservationists and animal protectionists. Understanding aspects of potentially opposing viewpoints may be invaluable in supporting the development of new welfare-focused control methods