How would humanity react to Intelligent animal life?
I know the title is misleading, but hear me out.
Let's say mankind has evolved past the frontiers of the Oort cloud, something like in the Avatar or Alien Universes. Enough to have jumping from stars be as mundane as taking a train ride between cities in the closest-to-earth, most developed areas, but enclaves or colonies of terraformers in the most barren.
Let's also say, going by the previous examples, that they find inhabitable planets with terran atmospheres that, while able to sustain life, are already inhabited by intelligent, sentient species which not only are not even close to prehistoric in technology, but also see little use to it physiologically. 162
As if the whole world were a "What if" humans never existed, a look back to 50 million years ago or if Na'vi-like species were all around the place. Sort of hostile, but kinda nice overall.
From there, there's a crapton of ways to go. I'm aware of how some reserves or isolated populations are left alone due to worries in biological hazards as well as to avoid land claims, as well as it depending on who finds it or who funds the operations, as Military or Corporate could pretty much end up in a Na'Vi situation which I'm not particularly sure I want as the trope is kind of tiring.
If academia discovers it, which is the path I'd rather take, would we do the same we usually try to do with wild animals in our world in the sense of studying them as close as we can but without direct intervention like putting a tracking collar or sending a spy robot from orbit or from a colony? Would a hostile planet like this also have to take space poachers looking for the most dangerous game offworld into account? Not to mention how culture could be different and have the scientists pull a Fuegia Basket and HMS Beagle on the aliens.
I know it's a lot to cover, or try to, with as broad an approach as this is, but how do you think Academia could react or, if possible, try and minimize the footprint humanity leaves on such environment?
As always, thanks in advance. 197