Researcher biography
Emily (she/her) is a PhD student with Dr Angela Dean and Professor Kelly Fielding exploring ways to encourage responsible wildlife tourism behaviours that prioritise positive conservation and animal welfare outcomes. She is doing her PhD part-time as part of her role as a conservation social scientist at Zoos Victoria. Emily’s research focuses on a range of areas including the role of zoo-based experiences in driving conservation behaviours and examining ways to encourage pet cat containment and sustainable coffee consumption practices.
LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/in/emilymmcleod/
Book Chapter
McLeod, Emily M., Fielding, Kelly S. and Dean, Angela J. (2024). Understanding and improving the visitor experience: how can we increase the positive social impact of animal–visitor interactions?. Human-animal interactions in zoos: integrating science and practice. (pp. 192-204) edited by Eduardo J. Fernandez and Sally L. Sherwen. Wallingford, United Kingdom: CABI. doi: 10.1079/9781800622715.0014
Journal Articles
Henson, E., McLeod, E.M., Weston, M.A. and Miller, K.K. (2023). Bird feeding at urban wetlands: a comparison of demographics, attitudes and norms between feeders and non-feeders. Science of The Total Environment, 891 164060, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164060
Pearson, Elissa L., Mellish, Sarah, McLeod, Emily M., Sanders, Ben and Ryan, Jillian C. (2022). Can we save Australia's endangered wildlife by increasing species recognition?. Journal for Nature Conservation, 69 126257, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126257
Shaw, Meghan N., Borrie, William T., McLeod, Emily M. and Miller, Kelly K. (2022). Wildlife photos on social media: a quantitative content analysis of conservation organisations’ Instagram images. Animals, 12 (14) 1787, 1-16. doi: 10.3390/ani12141787
Shaw, Meghan N., McLeod, Emily M., Borrie, William T. and Miller, Kelly K. (2022). Human positioning in close-encounter photographs and the effect on public perceptions of zoo animals. Animals, 12 (1) 11, 11. doi: 10.3390/ani12010011
Mellish, Sarah, Ryan, Jillian C., McLeod, Emily M., Tuckey, Michelle R. and Pearson, Elissa L. (2021). Challenges and successes to the implementation of a zoo conservation-education program. Evaluation and Program Planning, 88 101950, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.101950
van Eeden, Lily M., Hames, Fern, Faulkner, Richard, Geschke, Andrew, Squires, Zoe E. and McLeod, Emily M. (2021). Putting the cat before the wildlife: exploring cat owners' beliefs about cat containment as predictors of owner behavior. Conservation Science and Practice, 3 (10) e502. doi: 10.1111/csp2.502
Selinske, Matthew J., Garrard, Georgia E., Gregg, Emily A., Kusmanoff, Alexander M., Kidd, Lindall R., Cullen, Meghan T., Cooper, Michelle, Geary, William L., Hatty, Melissa A., Hames, Fern, Kneebone, Sarah, McLeod, Emily M., Ritchie, Euan G., Squires, Zoe E., Thomas, Janelle, Willcock, Madelaine A. W., Blair, Sera and Bekessy, Sarah A. (2020). Identifying and prioritizing human behaviors that benefit biodiversity. Conservation Science and Practice, 2 (9) e249, 1-19. doi: 10.1111/csp2.249
Elliott, Alicia, Howell, Tiffani, McLeod, Emily and Bennett, Pauleen C. (2019). Perceptions of responsible cat ownership behaviors among a convenience sample of Australians. Animals, 9 (9) 703, 703. doi: 10.3390/ani9090703
Howell, Tiffani J., McLeod, Emily M. and Coleman, Grahame J. (2019). When zoo visitors “connect” with a zoo animal, what does that mean?. Zoo Biology, 38 (6), 461-470. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21509
Mellish, Sarah, Pearson, Elissa L., McLeod, Emily M., Tuckey, Michelle R. and Ryan, Jillian C. (2019). What goes up must come down: an evaluation of a zoo conservation-education program for balloon litter on visitor understanding, attitudes, and behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27 (9), 1393-1415. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2019.1625908
Guay, Patrick-Jean, Van Dongen, Wouter F.D., McLeod, Emily M., Whisson, Desley A., Vu, Huy Quan, Wang, Hua and Weston, Michael A. (2019). Does zonation and accessibility of wetlands influence human presence and mediate wildlife disturbance?. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 62 (8), 1306-1320. doi: 10.1080/09640568.2018.1495066
Van Dongen, Wouter F.D., McLeod, Emily M., Mulder, Raoul A., Weston, Michael A. and Guay, Patrick-Jean (2015). The height of approaching humans does not affect flight-initiation distance. Bird Study, 62 (2), 285-288. doi: 10.1080/00063657.2015.1026309
Weston, Michael A., Guay, Patrick-Jean, McLeod, Emily M. and Miller, Kelly K. (2015). Do birdwatchers care about bird disturbance?. Anthrozoos, 28 (2), 305-317. doi: 10.1080/08927936.2015.11435404
Guay, Patrick-Jean, McLeod, Emily M., Taysom, Alice J. and Weston, Michael A. (2014). Are vehicles ‘mobile bird hides’? A test of the hypothesis that ‘cars cause less disturbance’. The Victorian Naturalist, 131 (4), 150-153.
McLeod, Emily M., Guay, Patrick-Jean, Taysom, Alice J., Robinson, Randall W. and Weston, Michael A. (2013). Buses, cars, bicycles and walkers: the influence of the type of human transport on the flight responses of waterbirds. PLoS One, 8 (12) e82008, e82008. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082008
Guay, P. J., McLeod, E. M., Cross, R., Formby, A. J., Maldonado, S. P., Stafford-Bell, R. E., St-James-Turner, Z. N., Robinson, R. W., Mulder, R. A. and Weston, M. A. (2013). Observer effects occur when estimating alert but not flight-initiation distances. Wildlife Research, 40 (4), 289-293. doi: 10.1071/WR13013
Weston, M. A., Mcleod, E. M., Blumstein, D. T. and Guay, P. J. (2012). A review of flight-initiation distances and their application to managing disturbance to Australian birds. Emu, 112 (4), 269-286. doi: 10.1071/MU12026