Perception and knowledge about snakes among the staff of a Costa Rican public university

 

Tallennettuna:
Bibliografiset tiedot
Tekijä: Quesada-Acuña, Sergio Gabriel
Aineistotyyppi: artículo original
Tila:Versión publicada
Julkaisupäivä:2019
Kuvaus:Introduction: The Human-Serpent conflict in Costa Rica seems to be defined by fear. However, several studies suggest that perception and knowledge about snakes could be more positive in an urban population with a higher educational level. Objective: To evaluate the perception and knowledge about snakes among the staff of a Costa Rican public university. Methods: I designed a survey of 13 questions, some aimed at assessing perception and others aimed at evaluating knowledge. Results: I applied the survey to 340 employees, 95% have university-level studies and live within the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM); 40% are afraid of snakes. Women feel more fear and dislike than men. Most underestimate or ignore the overall number of snake species, overestimate or ignore the number of dangerous snakes and underestimate the maximum size of a snake in Costa Rica; 73% mentioned more poisonous species than non-poisonous species. The most mentioned snakes were boa, coral, fer-de-lance, pit viper and rattlesnake. Conclusions: Despite their high educational level, these university staff members know little about snakes and would benefit from environmental education about them.
Maa:Portal de Revistas UNED
Organisaatio:Universidad Estatal a Distancia
Repositorio:Portal de Revistas UNED
Kieli:Español
OAI Identifier:oai:revistas.investiga.uned.ac.cr:article/2654
Linkit:https://revistas.uned.ac.cr/index.php/cuadernos/article/view/2654
Sanahaku:urban ecology
environmental education
etnoherpethology
snakes from Costa Rica
conflicto
humano-serpiente
ecología urbana
educación ambiental
etnoherpetología
serpientes de Costa Rica