Social media as a window into human-wildlife interactions and zoonotic disease risk: an examination of wild pig hunting videos on YouTube

ABSTRACT

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) damage agriculture and the environment, as well as transmit diseases to animals and people. Hunters are particularly vulnerable to zoonotic disease risks when harvesting wild pigs. Management agencies have endeavored to inform the public about disease risks associated with wild pigs and best practices for mitigating such risks. However, the extent that this guidance has reached hunters and influenced their practices is unclear. We approached this topic through an analysis of wild pig hunting videos on YouTube. We found evidence of relatively few behaviors and communications regarding disease risks and best practices for personal safety. In contrast, many videos showed behaviors that could increase the risk of disease transmission to the subjects and other animals. We emphasize the importance of understanding the influence of social media on viewers and discuss implications for management agencies, including opportunities for strategic messaging in public health campaigns.

KEYWORDS:

• Online videos
• Sus scrofa
• human dimensions
• content analysis
• mixed methods

Acknowledgments

We thank the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Feral Swine Damage Management Program, and the National Wildlife Research Center for making this research possible. A special thanks to Cheryl Dutro and Jordan Navin for their time and effort helping with data collection and management. Additional support was provided by Colorado State University.

Data availability

Participants in this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data are not available.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this publication are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent any official U.S. Department of Agriculture or U.S. Government determination or policy.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Notes

1. Although research on public facing social media content is ruled exempt from human subject review, we did not record or report identifying information about participants to ensure that our study presented no additional risks to them.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Feral Swine Damage Management Program;USDA/APHIS/WS NWRC National Feral Swine Damage Management Program.