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How eggs became a victory for the animal welfare movement
 
But as the authors noted, there has been little solid research on these shifting feelings 
since Kellert’s survey, particularly about wild animals. And in that time, a lot 
has changed. More Americans have moved to cities, increasing their distance from 
animals that live in forests, rivers or barns. But scientific understanding about animal 

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intelligence, behavior and vulnerability has blossomed, and it’s rapidly conveyed to 
the public online and on television programming such as Discovery’s “Shark 
Week.” 
So are those trends generating fonder feelings toward animals that long had icky or 
scary reputations? The authors aren’t sure, but they cite research that suggests 
American views of wildlife are shifting away from an emphasis on “domination” 
toward “harmony, care-taking and empathy.” And, they write, “the increases in 
positive attitudes toward wildlife demonstrated by this study could lead to increased 
support for species conservation activities.” 
But it’s complicated, for a few reasons. The world’s human population is on a course 
to hit 
9.7 billion by 2050
, and all those people are going to need more to eat. If we 
keep using today’s food production methods, that will require more land for crops 
and cows, chickens and other meat sources, which will mean less habitat for wild 
animals (and could catalyze 
a sixth “mass extinction
“). 
What’s more, city folks’ growing love for wolves and coyotes might stir social and 
political tension over how to deal with those predators in rural areas where they’re 
more abundant; some people in the Great Lakes region, for example, would 
like to 
be able to shoot wolves
. And if public concern about farm animals gets more out of 
barns and into pastures, they’ll probably become more vulnerable to canine 
predators, which also might trigger fights among people. 
Watch kids’ toys explain why killing wolves might be a bad idea
 
Then again, the authors write, the growing concern could inspire innovative 
solutions to wildlife conservation and conflicts. Co-author Jeremy Bruskotter, an 
associate professor of environment and natural resources at Ohio State 
University, 
told Conservation Magazine
 that the key is to leverage Americans’ 
expanding care for animals and turn it into wildlife-supporting dollars. These days, 
the magazine noted, most state-level conservation funds come from 
licensing activities that lead to dead animals: hunting, trapping and fishing.