Wildlife value orientations in the Netherlands

Wildlife value orientations among inhabitants of the Netherlands were explored by conducting semi-structured interviews, and using predefined value orientations that were previously revealed in the United States. Special attention was paid to the existence of mutualism orientations, viewing wildlife as capable of relationships of trust with humans and having rights like humans do. Most predefined orientations were expressed by the interviewees. Mutualism was the predominant orientation, detected across subjects and across the interview questions. Within the mutualism orientation different perspectives were found: assignment of human characteristics to wildlife, mutual recognition and interaction with wildlife, a basic ethical position that animals have the same rights as humans, and the perspective that animals deserve respect and should not suffer. The materialism orientation, viewing wildlife as object for human use, was revealed rarely. These results match with the hypothesis of a shift toward mutualism orientations in Western societies.