Characteristics of photographers targeting endangered Blakiston's fish-owls and problems with owl tourism

Abstract

Organized by the government and conducted by a group of professionals, conservation programs for endangered Blakiston's fish owls Ketupa blakistoni have been underway since 1984. The government has kept habitat information and the location of owls undisclosed to prevent human disturbance, especially from bird watchers and photographers. However, intruders who seek to see and photograph this rare species have increased in number in some accessible habitats, with upsurges in the 2010s. Moreover, some private lodges have been feeding owls to facilitate visitor photographs. An internet search for personal blogs showing photographs of wild Blakiston's fish owls revealed that 47.4% of the blog pictures from specified locations were taken from lodges where it had been announced that owls could be seen. Three of the four lodges were feeding owls, and the remaining one was helping visitors to see owls feeding and nesting in the national forest surrounding the lodge. On Instagram, photograph location was stated for 55.1% of pictures and all of these were taken at lodges where owls were being fed. Eighty-seven percent of the blog photographs were shot at night, either using strobe photography or making use of lighting fixtures installed by the lodges. Of the 12.7% of daytime photographs taken under natural light, 32.9% were of immature fledglings and parent birds on the alert for intruders. Photographers who visited wild owl habitats were significantly older and male-biased compared to participants in guided zoo tours designed to watch and learn about Blakiston’s fish owls in captivity. Awareness of owl conservation projects also differed between the two groups, i.e., those who visited habitats were more knowledgeable about conservation measures for wild individuals than were guided zoo tour participants but less knowledgeable about efforts being undertaken in captivity. Furthermore, while photographers thought that their actions related to photography and birdwatching had a minor impact on owls, guided zoo tour participants had the opposite view. In particular, feeding was considered to have a negative impact on the conservation of Blakiston's fish owls by 86.3% of guided zoo tour participants compared to only 25% of photographers. This study revealed five problems with the current tourism uses of Blakiston's fish owls that need addressing: 1) disclosure of habitat information, 2) feeding owls as a tourism attraction, 3) use of artificial lighting, 4) acclimation to human and artificial conditions, 5) discordance with national conservation projects.