Is Human Voice the Scariest Sound in the Savannah?

A new study done by researchers at the South Africa’s Kruger National Park tested how animals would react to different sounds played at local watering holes. Thousands of video recordings from 19 species were analyzed to see what sound was most feared. Everything from mice to lions to humans were part of the experiment. Recorders and audio speakers were installed near watering holes for 6 weeks and ran 24 hours a day.  All sounds were played at equal volume to eliminate loudness as a determining factor. Among the most threating sounds were gunshots, lions snarling, and dogs barking. However, animals ran fastest from the watering holes when they heard calm voices of humans speaking. This may be because humans are recognized as the most feared predators. Since so much poaching of Rhinos is done every year, setting up human voice recording near fences surrounding reserves may keep rhinos away from this area where most poaching is done. Further research needs to be performed which can include incorporating the sense of smell as another deterrent.

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231005110725.htm