Widespread descriptions of animals in pop culture could actually be hurting the animals’ survival chances in the wild, new research suggests.
Franck Courchamp of the University of Paris-Sud was interested in the idea of “appeal”in animals. He wanted to know: What species do people consider appealing? And what are the influences of being appealing on populations in the wild?
In a research published this month, Courchamp and other researchers list the top 20 appealing species. Most of the animals identified as appealing are large mammals living on land. Coming in first place were tigers, followed by lions, elephants, giraffes, panthers, pandas, cheetahs, polar bears, wolves, and gorillas. However, at least half of the interviewees didn’t realize that five of the top ten most appealing species are threatened. It is paradoxical that we haven’t been able to protect the species we care about the most.
The study also found that we are flooded with images of these creatures, even as they are becoming fewer in the wild. The study suggests that too much of imagination might be creating a “virtual(虚拟的) population” of the animals in peoples’ minds, making them believe there are far more individuals in the wild than is exact.
The study authors suggest that companies who benefit from the use of these images should set aside a small percentage of their profits for protection efforts and informational campaigns. “That would be not only something fair, but that would be something that could bring a win-win situation for them,” Courchamp says. It could bring them positive public relation, for example. Besides, if a company’s mascot(吉祥物) goes extinct, that could hurt them from a marketing point, Courchamp says. But not enough companies are “truly concerned about the protection of the species that they work on,” he adds.
【小题1】It can be inferred that the widespread images of animals in pop culture ________.| A．leads people to forget the less appealing animals |
| B．makes a false impression of the animals’ real situation |
| C．raises people’s wildlife protection attention and efforts |
| D．brings a win-win situation for both animals and companies |
| A．It is important to protect these endangered species. |
| B．It is natural to regard the large mammals as attractive. |
| C．It is terrible that the species are dying out at an alarming speed. |
| D．It is strange that people’s thoughts contrast with their behaviors. |
| A．giving examples | B．making definition |
| C．making comparisons | D．using numbers |
| A．Neutral. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Dissatisfied. | D．Positive. |
