A Review of Mammalian Availability as Salt-Lick Tourism Supply

Abstract

: A wide range of mammal species visit to mineral licks, thus salt-lick tourism is promoted to allow clear-viewing of free-roaming mammal individuals by tourists at the licks. However, there is lacking in information on the factors that define overall satisfactions of tourists during mammal-watching at mineral licks, as well as the means to evaluate this matter. Henceforth, this paper intends to provide a holistic understanding on the keystone factors that define mammalian availability as salt-lick tourism supply. The authenticity, uniqueness, intensity, duration, species popularity and rarity of sighted mammal individuals shape the overall satisfactions of tourists, and then these criteria can be represented by physical availability, species traits and diversity of mammals that can be sighted at a mineral lick. Then, temporal variability in bio-physiochemical, environmental and anthropogenic conditions are determined to determine the availability of a mammal species at a particular mineral lick. Tourist perception towards geophagic behaviour of mammals and tourist carrying capacity for mammal-watching at the licks have yet been addressed at this moment, henceforth further research is required to fill up these research gaps for this field of study in future.