As a part of nature, it is natural for humans to encounter animals: current conflicts stem from the fact that we do not understand animal behaviour and thus feel threatened about their actions and damage to our property, without knowing that some of our actions, albeit unconscious, may cause animals to feel threatened, eliciting retaliation from the animals. Thus, raising awareness of the masses towards such conflicts is an essential part of tackling the problem: if we can understand why some animals attack us and take suitable actions to reduce such attacks, we can cultivate good and loving human animal relationships- this will also be good in the future as we will learn to treat animals with respect and care.
Though mitigation measures are important, it must be noted that there is ultimately no one- size- fit- all mitigation. Many of the measures have to be used in conjunction with one another to reap the best effects. For instance, installing structures to fend off birds may work in the short term, but if there are still residents feeding the pigeons persistently, this will not help to solve the problem. There has to be an incorporative and holistic approach taken when choosing mitigation measures.
Ultimately, mitigating human wildlife conflict is not an easy task: all of the measures have to be done continuously over a long period of time before any effects can be seen, as both animals and humans require time to change their habitats and actions. Thus, when dealing with wildlife conflict, we need patience and understanding from both citizens and decision makers.
