Attachment to livestock and attitudes: Toward large carnivores among sheepfarmers in Norway

The present study investigated the relationship between emotional investmen t and attachment to livestock among Norwegian sheep farmers, and their perc eption of large predators such as the wolf hear lynx and wolverine. Most st udies on attachment have focused on infants and children. However more rece ntly, the effects of pet ownership on child development have received incre ased attention among researchers. In the current work we hypothesized that attachment to livestock would affect the attitudes towards large carnivores . Based on questionnaire data from 491 respondents, a structural equation m odel (SEM) was set up to test this assumption. Results showed that attachme nt to livestock significantly predicted attitudes toward carnivores;ln part icular; negative attitudes were strongly related to attachment in such a wa y that the deeper the attachment farmers had for livestock, the more negati ve were their attitudes towards the predators. This article discusses the n eed for a differentiation among attachment to various kinds of animals in o rder to understand attitudinal relationships with carnivores.