Yellow Fever Outbreaks Are Not Associated With Long-Term Negative Human Perceptions of Wild Primates in Brazil

Human perceptions of wildlife are fundamental to guiding effective strategies for conserving biodiversity and public health. Zoonotic diseases affecting non-human primates, such as yellow fever (YF), may trigger negative human behaviors toward these species. We conducted 474 semi-structured interviews across seven municipalities in Minas Gerais (n = 324 respondents) and Bahia (n = 150), Brazil, and used mixed-effects models to evaluate whether human perceptions of marmosets (Callithrix sp.) and howler monkeys (Alouatta sp.) differed according to previous YF outbreaks. YF occurrence was not consistently associated with negative perceptions of either species or with perceived disease risk from primates. Instead, more frequent sightings, higher education level, and being male were associated with more positive perceptions of howler monkeys, while marmoset perceptions remained relatively constant. Education was also associated with greater knowledge of disease transmission and lower perceived disease risk from primates, whereas women reported greater risk perception. Because education level differed among municipalities, we further examined the robustness of its association with howler monkey perceptions using sensitivity analyses, which yielded qualitatively similar results. Together, these findings suggest that socio-demographic and experiential factors may be more strongly associated with human perceptions of non-human primates than previous YF occurrence.