Charisma and conservation: why do we like some animals more than others?

Have you ever wondered why people are likely to find baby pandas adorable, might not feel the same way about spiders?

Last week we took part in the Global Science Show on Twitter, a virtual event in which science communicators from all around the world are given a ten-minute slot to talk about any topic they choose. We chose to talk about the question of charisma and conservation in a short video, which you can check out on Youtube below:

This was the first time we’ve ever made a video like this, so we’d really appreciate any feedback you have on it!

If you’d like to read more about charisma and conservation, here are some resources:

• https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199149
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7266771/
• https://uglyanimalsoc.com/
• https://www.thelionssharefund.com/
• http://www.birdlife.org/

Plus, make sure to check out the rest of the Global Science Show on twitter here

Have we changed your mind about so-called ‘uncharismatic’ animals? Would you like to see us making similar videos in the future? Let us know in the comments or by sending us an email!