Tourists who encountered the ban on entry with pets were surprised by a strict measure in all National Parks in Argentina.
From the Intendancy of Lanín National Park, they issued a statement informing that a high number of visitors trying to enter with pets into the protected area has been detected. These situations, they explained, have generated “various conflictive situations with visitors,” despite the signage and warnings from park rangers, “who in many cases were attacked by people.”
They reminded that “protected areas and different natural environments are not spaces to share with pets, as they can affect native fauna and the environment“.
Ignoring the signage and the authorities’ provisions, numerous visitors tried to enter the protected area with their dogs or cats. This led to “conflictive situations” because, in some cases, park rangers were attacked by tourists.
In this sense, Lanín National Park made a call to “avoid fines” and stated: “Let’s enjoy walking, but pets stay at home.”
Why is there a ban on entry with pets at Lanín National Park
From the National Park, they recalled that there is a regulation that prohibits entry with pets in national parks, due to:
• The feces of domestic animals, even if they have all their vaccines, can transmit diseases to native fauna. They also pointed out that “even if removed or taken care of by their owners, pets are territorial animals, whose smells can cause the abandonment of nesting sites or dens with offspring, affecting the safety and reproductive success of species“.
• Dogs and cats naturally attack and scare away native fauna, which already has its natural predators. In this regard, they specified that “cats hunt birds and small animals like the Monito de Monte, which, at this time of year, are with their offspring“. Regarding dogs, they detailed that “a single bark or their smell causes stress and fear in fauna.” “Dog attacks on protected species such as the huillín, the pudú, and the huemul have been recorded within national parks,” they added.
• Lastly, by bringing pets to the park, “we expose them to traffic accidents on roads and paths, or to potentially attacking other people,” they concluded.
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