# Disease outbreak in wildlife changes online sales of management items

## TL;DR

A wildlife disease outbreak caused people to shift from active to passive management methods, potentially worsening human-wildlife conflicts.

## Contribution

This study reveals how infectious disease outbreaks in wildlife influence consumer behavior regarding conflict management.

## Key findings

- Online sales of boar traps decreased by 17% after the disease outbreak.
- Sales of control items increased by 73% following the outbreak.
- The shift to passive management may worsen human-wildlife conflicts.

## Abstract

Infectious diseases of wildlife cause human health hazards and economic losses. However, it is unclear how outbreaks affect human behaviour in relation to countermeasures against human–wildlife conflict. To explore the effects of infectious disease outbreaks among wild boars on countermeasure choices, we analysed online auction data before and after an outbreak of classical swine fever in wild boar. Online sales of boar traps decreased by 17 % after the outbreak, whereas sales of control items increased by 73 %. These results imply that infectious disease outbreaks in wildlife shift people's countermeasures from active to passive management. Since active trapping for the control of wildlife populations is essential to the avoidance of human–wildlife conflict, our findings show that outbreaks of infectious disease can aggravate conflict. Governments, farmers and hunters need to improve population control after outbreaks of infectious disease.

•Few studies have explored infectious disease's impacts on consumer behaviour.•We found wildlife disease outbreaks changed sales of countermeasures.•Changing countermeasures from active to passive can increase human-wildlife conflicts.•Understanding human behaviour change is required to enhance wildlife infection control.

Few studies have explored infectious disease's impacts on consumer behaviour.

We found wildlife disease outbreaks changed sales of countermeasures.

Changing countermeasures from active to passive can increase human-wildlife conflicts.

Understanding human behaviour change is required to enhance wildlife infection control.