Some ecotourism offers visitors close

Some ecotourism offers visitors close 1 with different species. But new research suggests that these activities may not be so great for the animals. Researchers tagged stingrays in Stingray City in the Cayman Islands to 2 their movements and behavior. Compared to stingrays outside of the tourism area, those in Stingray City switched their activity 3 from night to day, when tourists handed out food, and mated year round instead of seasonally. The stingrays also had more bite 4 , which suggests increased aggression towards one another. The study is in the journal PLoS ONE. Past research has found increased 5 and more intra- and inter- species aggression among animals that have been fed by humans. Interactive tourism is a growing business. But researchers say that more study is needed to 6 the health and safety of humans and animals alike. Ecotourism may be good for a given species, as humans become engaged in its 7 . But for the individual members of that species tasked with 8 with people, it may not be a walk in the park.