Fig. 1. Infant mountain gorilla, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
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Closing the gap between humans and nature means opening the gap between wild animals and us.
Others
As cities grow and more people live in urban areas, many of us crave a connection with nature. And often we turn to animals as a bridge to fill that craving. While the interactions between animals and humans can be meaningful and educational, they can also go wrong. Getting too close to wild animals, for example, can stress them, cause them to act defensively, and even spread diseases between humans and animals.
In Uganda, tourists visiting endangered mountain gorillas often ignore rules and get too close. This not only puts people at risk of injury, but it has also increased the stress levels of these endangered animals. On top of that, we have been seeing in the last decades, deadly outbreaks of human respiratory diseases in gorillas and chimpanzees habituated to humans, bringing these already endangered species a step closer to extinction.
Japan faces similar challenges with its fauna: young people move to the big cities while their elders continue to live in rural areas, where encounters with wild animals like bears and monkeys are on the rise, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Our project aims to turn this problem into an educational opportunity. By teaching people—locally and globally—how to interact with animals in safe, respectful, and scientifically informed ways, we can protect both human health and animal welfare. This work supports the One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the environment is deeply connected.
Through public education, we hope to:
• Prevent harmful interactions,
• Promote biodiversity and animal well-being (supporting SDG 15),
• Enhance public health (SDG 3),
• Provide quality, accessible education (SDG 4),
• And build strong partnerships across science, communities, and institutions (SDG 17).
In Uganda, tourists visiting endangered mountain gorillas often ignore rules and get too close. This not only puts people at risk of injury, but it has also increased the stress levels of these endangered animals. On top of that, we have been seeing in the last decades, deadly outbreaks of human respiratory diseases in gorillas and chimpanzees habituated to humans, bringing these already endangered species a step closer to extinction.
Japan faces similar challenges with its fauna: young people move to the big cities while their elders continue to live in rural areas, where encounters with wild animals like bears and monkeys are on the rise, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Our project aims to turn this problem into an educational opportunity. By teaching people—locally and globally—how to interact with animals in safe, respectful, and scientifically informed ways, we can protect both human health and animal welfare. This work supports the One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the environment is deeply connected.
Through public education, we hope to:
• Prevent harmful interactions,
• Promote biodiversity and animal well-being (supporting SDG 15),
• Enhance public health (SDG 3),
• Provide quality, accessible education (SDG 4),
• And build strong partnerships across science, communities, and institutions (SDG 17).
