Shared landscapes : exploring the relationships between people and red kites in the UK
It has been over thirty years since the first red kites (Milvus milvus) were reintroduced to the UK in 1989. Their reintroduction has subsequently been heralded as a major conservation success story. Here, I explore people’s perceptions of red kites and examine their interactions and relationships with this raptor species. For over a decade, some media accounts have indicated that the red kites’ popularity may be waning in some areas, thus prompting further investigation. As a result, my main research questions ask: 1) Is there a social shift occurring regarding people’s perceptions of red kites, and if so, what are the driving factors? and 2) How does an animal become a pest? As more people encounter wildlife, an increasing number of nonhuman animals are at risk of being labelled ‘pests’, including endangered species. The red kite represents a bird of prey which has been brought back from the brink after intensive conservations efforts; therefore, any changes regarding its social acceptance needs to be understood to prevent this species, and others like it, from re-entering a cycle of persecution. This project reflects a traditional ethnographic approach through its principal use of participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Fieldwork was carried out over 16 months in three locations. This was done to compare people’s perspectives and experiences in urban and rural, high- and low-density red kite areas, and includes, Haresbury (i.e. rural-high density), Oxford (i.e. urban-low density) and High Wycombe (i.e. urban-medium density). By analysing the main themes arising from people’s narratives about red kites, the primary objective of this research has been to uncover the driving factors influencing people’s tolerance capacities towards this species, and wildlife more broadly. It is hoped this work will contribute to how future reintroductions are approached, and add valuable insights regarding human-red kite and human- wildlife conflict mitigation and resolution strategies.
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