I am currently reading this book about the five large carnivores of Scandinavia and I am absolutely humbled, both by finding out how little I knew about them, what prejudice I had against them and how people that live in close proximity to them can both love, respect and be angry with them at the same time. I am reading the original release in Swedish.

  • What have you encountered in the wild?
  • When, where, how?
  • What were your initial thoughts, feelings and reactions (physical, psychological, etc.)?
  • What do think of them in general? <--- this last question applies to everybody, regardless of whether you have seen or met one of these large carnivores or not.

Personally, without having met any one of them, I am humbled, scared, amazed and intrigued by them. I feel for those whose - for instance - livestock are threatened by them, especially if it directly damages business. I also strongly believe that the matter should not be dumbed down to the dichotmy of "ignore those that suffer from them" or "eradicate them". We are far too intelligent and developed a race to degrade ourselves so.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 3 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

Canadian checking in! I've been face to face with black bears, grizzlies, bobcats, cougars.

In Ontario, the black bears were the most common. When we would go camping in the summer in the 80s, my parents were given a tip that driving to a local town dump in evening was a sure fire way to see bears from thhe safety of your car. It worked. 5 or so were feeding and would try to get through the closed window. At the same time, we would see bears in the waste bins at the park.

As I got older and did interior camping and true wilderness camping, we would encounter bears often. We practiced extreme camp hygiene and would not have food out, without fire. They would poke around the edges and see more trouble than its worth and leave.

As a working adult, I saw a blackbear on a bc highway and pulled over to take pictures. It ran away from me and I chased after it. Never got the photo.

I also saw two grizzly cubs walking along a B.C. highway. Cars pulled over would roll down their windows and feed the bears. A conservation officer pulled up, brought out his rifle and shot them both dead. The tourists formed an angry mob yelling why did they kill the bear. The CO said I didn't, everyone who fed the bear killed it. They became habituated and a nuisance bear in that moment and the ministry is obligated to kill them before they inevitably attack people.

Only seen a wolf once, but we have coyotes everywhere. Really only a threat to pets and small children.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

    Cause you're Canadian I want to ask, have you encountered a moose?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 11 hours ago

    You have more to fear from a moose encounter than any of those predators in truth.

    Carnivores might attack if scared or hungry, but herbivores will kill you just to be sure you aren't going to attack them. Just as in Africa, Cape Buffalo are the most dangerous of their big game animals.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 2 points 10 hours ago

    Yes. Many times. The closest I ever got was in Algonquin park, in a canoe maybe 30 ft. It was in kneee deep water feeding as my friend and I and his dad approached quietly. We could see it getting nervous when it peed in anticipation of fight or flight, and we gently backed off and watched from 100 ft or so. It calmed down once we pretended to be interested in the weeds, not it.

    I also have family who hunt, so....

    I once saw a spirit moose (white, but not albino) in New Brunswick on the highway near Miramichi.

  • source
  • parent