Bambi effect

[7] In the case of invasive species, perceived cuteness may help thwart efforts to eradicate non-native intruders, such as the white fallow deer in Point Reyes, California.

[8] The effect is also cited as the anthropomorphic quality of modern cinema: most people in modern Western civilization are not familiar with wildlife, other than "through TV or cinema, where fuzzy little critters discuss romance, self-determination and loyalty like pals over a cup of coffee", which has led to influences on public policy and the image of businesses cast in movies as polluting or otherwise harming the environment.

[9] The effect was also cited in the events following a record snowfall in the U.S. state of Colorado in 2007, when food for mule deer, pronghorns, and elk became so scarce that they began to starve; the Colorado Department of Wildlife was inundated with requests and offers to help the animals from citizens, and ended up spending almost $2 million feeding the hungry wildlife.

[10] Among some butchers, the Bambi effect (and in general, Walt Disney's anthropomorphic characters) is credited with fueling the vegetarian movement;[11] chefs use the term to describe customers' lack of interest in, for instance, whole fish: "It's the Bambi effect – [customers] don't want to see eyes looking at them".

[13] The ‘Bambi’ effect is backed up by a study (Wilks, 2008) which found that to help the more aggressive and unfriendly wildlife become more loved and see improvements in their environments there should be cuter and more innocent cartoons created and marketed for them.