Attitudes toward and Knowledge about Wolves in SW German Secondary School Pupils from within and outside an Area Occupied by Wolves (Canis lupus)

摘要

The wolf ( ) was extinct from large parts of Europe, but during the last decades, wolves re-entered their previous distribution area in Germany. The federal state of Baden-Württemberg has delineated a wolf area where some individuals are roaming around. We compared secondary school students from within and outside the wolf area, and analysed gender, age, and residency effects on attitude and knowledge. A total of 254 students from secondary schools participated in this study with a mean age of 12.63 ± 2.17. We asked for basic attitudes toward wolves and for knowledge about wolves. In detail, age was related to the subscale interest to learn, with lower interest scores related to an increasing age. Girls reported a higher level of fear of wolves, and, concerning residency, conservation attitudes were lower within the wolf area compared to outside. Boys had a higher level of knowledge than girls. A higher level of knowledge was related to a greater conservation attitude, a greater interest to learn, a lower level of fear/harm, and a lower acceptance of hunting.