1. Acceptability of large carnivores is influenced by socio-psychological factors and
is crucial to coexistence. When large carnivores cause real or perceived threats
such as damage to local economy or safety, people may engage in lethal control.
However, in the presence of legal protection for the species and associated penalties, lethal retaliation can diminish or happen elusively. Therefore, it is helpful
for managers to understand people's attitudes and acceptability associated with
support for killing large carnivores in conflict situations and the demographics of
those involved in lethal retaliation.
2. We interviewed 390 respondents living in 26 villages in northern Iran, where
communities are largely dependent on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood and conflicts with brown bears (Ursus arctos) are common. Our goal was
to assess the acceptability of killing bears in four different scenarios, from lowintensity to high-intensity interaction.
3. The results showed that although respondents generally had a slightly positive
attitude towards bears, those with negative attitudes were associated with higher
acceptability of killing bears. The mean acceptability of killing bears increased as
human–bear interaction intensified. Younger, less educated and female respondents were more supportive of killing bears, while respondents with an alternative
source of income were less accepting of killing them.
4. We provide five recommendations to foster coexistence, including leveraging
positive attitudes through strategies like building advocacy networks, promoting
inclusive outreach programmes, particularly for female and younger respondents.
Also, we recommend emergency conflict mitigation teams take immediate action
for conflict mitigation in areas with higher acceptance of killing bears to prevent
retaliatory behaviour. Furthermore, providing an alternative source of income and
focusing on preventive methods and effective strategies are recommended.