What Local Animal Are You Most Afraid Of?

[IndyJones]

Local? Probably dogs. We have people who let their dogs run around off leash and some of them bark at anything that moves. They also will charge people who are walking on the streets, driving cars, riding bikes etc. A young man fell off his skateboard the other day because of it.

 

[IndyJones]

Problem is the owners don't care at all, I don't even think they care about the dog or what happens to it. I heard them call it a "idiot" and other things.

 

[kashmir64]

Problem is the owners don't care at all, I don't even think they care about the dog or what happens to it. I heard them call it a " idiot" and other things.

That's sad. Even with 40 fenced acres, and my county is open range, I keep mine on a leash or let them out in their 70' dog run. I couldn't imagine just letting them run around.

We do have a problem with wild dogs up here, and they are meaner than the cougar or bear. The sheriff has issued a shoot-to-kill order on all wild dog packs. I actually saw a pack take down a calf at my son's bus stop once.

 

[kittens mom]

When my schnauzer was a puppy, I had a bald eagle swoop down and try to take him. And he was on a leash. And that's probably why he's still alive today.

I've noticed the animals are getting bolder. I feel like I'm watching the tv series Zoo, but it's in my back yard.

They're simply becoming more habituated to humans. We don't leave anything out where any animal can get a bite to eat. Sadly lots of people don't secure trash or leave dog and cat food out. All predators are opportunistic hunters and if you leave an easy meal they associate that with your dwelling. Small dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, chickens any small livestock they can make off with. Your madly barking dog locked in a kennel or chained up is only effective until the coyote realizes the dog is confined. They are smarter than wolves, and will ignore your dogs barking. Lots of people here think letting their dogs bark scares off wildlife. Not predators.
I have a relative that lives in coyote infested country and they can't have anything outside that they don't kill and eat. BTW they also know what a gun is. They also let their small children play outside. Something I don't think I'd do unless I was right there with them. Theirs are still the smaller yellow type coyote.

 

[IndyJones]

Problem is we are invading the wild animals homes with subdivisions and roads, they are being pushed into the city.

 

[kashmir64]

No, I think they are getting bolder. We leave no food out. Garbage is bagged put in the dumpster with big rocks on top.
But I've noticed the bear is coming almost up to my door, so are the wolfotes. And the cougar...well, he thinks my car is Pride Rock.

 

[kittens mom]

Local? Probably dogs. We have people who let their dogs run around off leash and some of them bark at anything that moves. They also will charge people who are walking on the streets, driving cars, riding bikes etc. A young man fell off his skateboard the other day because of it.

Out here an aluminum bat or golf club is called an East Mountain Walking Stick.

 

[kittens mom]

Problem is we are invading the wild animals homes with subdivisions and roads, they are being pushed into the city.

Yes and no. Generally with bears and cats it's subdivisions moving in but with coyotes they are expanding into human habitat.

 

[denice]

I would say it would have to be snakes but I haven't seen one in ages. Black bears are coming back in Ohio, it's still estimated to be a very small population. The closest siting so far is in a bordering county. If the population gets large enough they will begin showing up in suburbs. If they do start showing up in suburbs they will replace snakes since we don't have any poisonous snakes at least native to Ohio. Who knows what people are keeping in their homes.

 

[arouetta]

No matter where I'm at, hands down it's brown recluse and black widow spiders. I'm arachnophobic to start, though I have finally gotten to the point where if the spider is non-poisonous and across the room I just tell it to stay on its side; if it comes too close I grab the nearest hard object and teach the spider that "fight" is part of the fight/flight response that fears raise.

There are other animals that scare me. You should have seen me run when I was camping and woke up and saw a black bear about 100 feet away. Thankfully it was on a berry hunt, not a 16 year old girl hunt. Dogs are kinda like non-poisonous spiders, in that I've managed to suppress most of the fear but it danged well better not run up to me. I won't hurt a dog unless it's clearly a case of harm-or-be-harmed, but I will get loud and aggressive to scare it away. Or I'll scream, like when the puppy I didn't know was behind me in PetSmart stuck his cold, wet nose on the back of my calf in order to get attention. I don't care too much about coyotes and cougars, as where I grew up both were fat and happy on the local deer population and never messed with humans. I did love going out stargazing on cold winter nights when the air was clear and hearing the coyotes sing. Snakes, if it has a triangle head I'm running, otherwise I admire its beauty for a bit. I would be afraid of alligators if I lived in an area prone to them, but I'd probably buy a burmese python watch-snake to keep safe.

 

[arouetta]

Duh! I used to have an area specific animal fear, before I moved. Watching one of the "Shark Week" commercials reminded me of it. Sandbar sharks.

Why that species instead of sharks in general? Sandbar sharks are these cute, docile sharks that wouldn't hurt a fly unless they were hungry. And humans are not on their menu, even when hungry. But they love to lie on the sand in shallow water. And they blend in pretty good, so it is stupidly easy to step on one when playing in the surf. So when an unsuspecting human steps on a sandbar shark, there are only two outcomes. First, the sandbar shark bites the human before swimming off at a high rate of speed in absolute terror of the thing that just tried to squish it to death. Well, it may be docile but it does have shark teeth and while you won't lose the foot, you are going to need some serious stitches. Second, the sandbar shark doesn't bite, but still swims off terrified at a high rate of speed. And it's a shark, it has sharkskin, which is like coarse sandpaper. And being rubbed by a shark's skin when it's swimming is like taking a shower with a Brillo pad as a loofah. No thanks, I kinda like my skin to stay on me. So either way, the clumsy human is going to end up with nasty foot injuries.

 

[muffy]

Local? Probably dogs. We have people who let their dogs run around off leash and some of them bark at anything that moves. They also will charge people who are walking on the streets, driving cars, riding bikes etc. A young man fell off his skateboard the other day because of it.

When I was a kid we used to have a pack of wild dogs roaming the neighborhood. We would see them out early in the morning looking for food. They never bothered anybody that I know of. I never seen any loose dogs running around now.

Muffy

 

[kittens mom]

The local sheriffs had to shoot a bear that got into our area down here just a few nights ago.
I know someone is going to say they should have darted the bear that's simply not possible in all situations. I thought conditions were better in the mountains but maybe not. Mama going to get her bear spray out and keep it handy.
Birdfeeders down. Trash cans can live at the end of the driveway.

 

[arouetta]

I know someone is going to say they should have darted the bear that's simply not possible in all situations.

Darn. I do hope that it was a last resort, and not someone being lazy. Suffolk VA has a bad problem with bears entering the city and as far as I know they've never had to kill one. They dart them, tag them and drop them in the Great Dismal Swamp. If they come back, there's a risk they decided the city was part of their territory, so then they dump them in the Appalachian mountains.

 

[Willowy]

Around here they just like to hurt animals . They don't even try to do it non-lethally. There was a young cougar who found himself in town a few years ago. Wasn't bothering anyone, just hiding, waiting until dark. They said they "had to" kill him because if they darted him he might have wandered through town all dopey and something might have happened. Instead they shoot him, he takes off with them running after him shooting the whole time, they shot him 12 times before he died and he died right outside town limits. So instead of a drugged big cat running through town, they had an injured cat suffering running through town and a bunch of yahoos chasing him while randomly shooting guns in populated neighborhoods. Yeah that's a lot safer :/. I decided then that they're just evil jerks who like killing animals.

 

[kittens mom]

Darn. I do hope that it was a last resort, and not someone being lazy. Suffolk VA has a bad problem with bears entering the city and as far as I know they've never had to kill one. They dart them, tag them and drop them in the Great Dismal Swamp. If they come back, there's a risk they decided the city was part of their territory, so then they dump them in the Appalachian mountains.

it's usually dart and relocate here. Sometimes things don't work out with wild animals and I believe that in this kind of setting human life takes precedent.

 

[kittens mom]

Around here they just like to hurt animals . They don't even try to do it non-lethally. There was a young cougar who found himself in town a few years ago. Wasn't bothering anyone, just hiding, waiting until dark. They said they "had to" kill him because if they darted him he might have wandered through town all dopey and something might have happened. Instead they shoot him, he takes off with them running after him shooting the whole time, they shot him 12 times before he died and he died right outside town limits. So instead of a drugged big cat running through town, they had an injured cat suffering running through town and a bunch of yahoos chasing him while randomly shooting guns in populated neighborhoods. Yeah that's a lot safer :/. I decided then that they're just evil jerks who like killing animals.

Yes well we don't have those kind of rodeos here the general procedure is to dart and return, dart and return and I believe that if they do need to destroy them on the third time it's done humanely by a veterinarian after being darted. Most don't come back and the second time they release it's way out in the boonies.

 

[muffy]

Around here they just like to hurt animals . They don't even try to do it non-lethally. There was a young cougar who found himself in town a few years ago. Wasn't bothering anyone, just hiding, waiting until dark. They said they "had to" kill him because if they darted him he might have wandered through town all dopey and something might have happened. Instead they shoot him, he takes off with them running after him shooting the whole time, they shot him 12 times before he died and he died right outside town limits. So instead of a drugged big cat running through town, they had an injured cat suffering running through town and a bunch of yahoos chasing him while randomly shooting guns in populated neighborhoods. Yeah that's a lot safer :/. I decided then that they're just evil jerks who like killing animals.

Arouetta and Willowy:

You both have an excellent post. Too many people just like to kill animals.

Muffy

 

[kashmir64]

Our sheriff has a completely different perspective on wild animals. Except for the wild dogs, he tells people, "If the animal is threatening you or your livestock, then kill it. Otherwise leave it alone, they were here first".

 

[kittens mom]

There is nothing but ranchland here for over 100 years. There are no ground water sources except manmade ones like stock tanks and some surface wells out on the bigger ranges. There is no food. I haven't seen a pronghorn here in over 15 years. There is no real habitat to den and the most likely choice is going to be under or in a human dwelling , shed or other manmade structure. The only reliable source of protein is going to be livestock and eventually in this setting a human. This isn't a case where we can live with the bears because they have no choice once here but to raid human areas for food.