Thought everyone understood that wild animals can be dangerous, but mostly hide or run away.
Only laid eyes on a panther once. It had checked me out ahead of time, utterly ignored me. Only seen one gator that wasn’t hauling ass away from my canoe or kayak. Saw a mama black bear with tiny babies galumphing along behind as she ran off. Went back the next day, couldn’t see her, but I heard the warning! Water moccasins hiss and pitch a fit, run away. You’d have to be deaf and step on one. (I’ve come close!)
Then you got people like my wife. She went to meet me at the trail entrance the other night, saw a small animal cross the path, got spooked and ran back to her car. Daughter and I saw a roll of teenage armadillos, up close! My wife asked if they would attack us.
Wife’s friend came over from England. She was choking down panic and the sun set on our camp in the swamp. I assured her that speaking in a normal tone of voice would scare anything away. Never been in wild woods and never at night!
I’ve had people online act like I’m an idiot for getting into the uncivilized places I often go. Many people here in NW Florida won’t go on the water unless it’s a large body and in a large boat. They think I’m going to get attacked in my kayak.
So, what’s your perception of the animals where you live? Do you think the people in your area feel the same?
Panther or gator close in the wild, yup you seem crazy. Works out until it doesn’t.
Oh and bear with younglings. Especially any animal with young ones!
You could not escape any of those three animals if things went south.
This is from a German perspective and we might only like have a wild boar that could massacre us (which are not just easy food as depicted in comics). Maybe you also just have the weaponry to feel safe.
But especially even knowing house cats very well I see a lot of people insanely overestimating themselves.
E.g thinking they could hold a candle to a (muscle only) shimpanzee or people trying to pet a wild horse, the latter being lucky to get away with their life and only bruises instead of easily broken arm and bleeding to death.