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But then we’d have to live around wolves. I like the idea that I don’t live near large apex predators. (I know they mostly leave humans alone but it’s still un

But then we’d have to live around wolves. I like the idea that I don’t live near large apex predators. (I know they mostly leave humans alone but it’s still unsettling.)

patall 5y ago
And I like the idea of having a lower chance of dying in a road accident. Or isn't that the idea of what we are discussing here, putting actual numbers to (ir)rational fears?
anthomtb 5y ago
You currently live somewhere that doesn’t have any large apex predators?
- alisonkisk 5y ago
  What are you talking about?
- cameronh90 5y ago
  I live in England, and the scariest thing you'll find in the countryside is a badger. Our badgers aren't even scary. Well - besides other humans and their dogs.
  - kaybe 5y ago
    You don't have wild pigs in the UK?
    - pfdietz 5y ago
      There are some semi-wild horses, down in the southwest (Dartmoor, Exmoor, The New Forest).
  - pfdietz 5y ago
    Intermittently, pairs of mushrooms, and sometimes a snake.
  - mrob 5y ago
    Cows are more dangerous than badgers.
- mcv 5y ago
  Well, humans.
gondo 5y ago
"they mostly leave humans alone" there is an adult human and there is a child human.
- bogwog 5y ago
  Are wolf attacks on children a common issue? I don't think I've ever heard of that happening.
  - DoreenMichele 5y ago
    Coyotes are known to attack children and pets. When I lived in the High Desert I didn't hesitate to go out alone after dark but my children weren't allowed to do so. IIRC, there had been two or three attacks on children in the previous five years (edit: in the area I was living).
  - zdragnar 5y ago
    Isn't that the point? You don't hear about it because there aren't any wolves, and where there are wolves, you change your behavior ( let kids out on their own much less). Wolf attacks on people are pretty much proportional to the amount of other food they have available and how many people they come into contact with, just like any other predator.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      > You don't hear about it because there aren't any wolves That's a big assumption. > here there are wolves, you change your behavior ( let kids out on their own much less). Kids are already let out so much less than they used to be, so that might not be necessary. > Wolf attacks on people are pretty much proportional to the amount of other food they have available and how many people they come into contact with, just like any other predator. The constant you multiply the proportion by matters a lot.
- SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
  If children are allowed near dogs then I think children can live in a city where wolves are tens of miles away in the forest and actively avoid anything that sounds of people.
earthscienceman 5y ago
We need to put our emotions aside while managing our wildlife populations. Wolves are not a serious threat to humans and even so, the wilderness is a scary place even without wolves, take appropriate precautions.
mikestew 5y ago
If it’s not wolves, it’ll be something else, at least for a lot of areas in the western U. S. Just the other day I saw a bobcat while I was out running. The dog and I would see coyotes on our morning run, so a bobcat isn’t surprising. There allegedly are cougars around here, but I’ve never seen one. You won’t either, until it’s too late. :-) And then there’s the bears. They’re not grizzlies, though, so not a huge deal. They do occasionally wander through the elementary school yard behind our house, though (as does the bobcat). Oh, yeah, forgot to mention the Alaskan frontier town that I call home: Redmond, WA. It’s not Australia, but there are a few things around here that will give thought to killing you and eating you, even in town.

But then we’d have to live around wolves. I like the idea that I don’t live near large apex predators. (I know they mostly leave humans alone but it’s still unsettling.)

patall 5y ago

And I like the idea of having a lower chance of dying in a road accident. Or isn't that the idea of what we are discussing here, putting actual numbers to (ir)rational fears?

anthomtb 5y ago

You currently live somewhere that doesn’t have any large apex predators?

alisonkisk 5y ago
What are you talking about?
cameronh90 5y ago
I live in England, and the scariest thing you'll find in the countryside is a badger. Our badgers aren't even scary. Well - besides other humans and their dogs.
- kaybe 5y ago
  You don't have wild pigs in the UK?
  - pfdietz 5y ago
    There are some semi-wild horses, down in the southwest (Dartmoor, Exmoor, The New Forest).
- pfdietz 5y ago
  Intermittently, pairs of mushrooms, and sometimes a snake.
- mrob 5y ago
  Cows are more dangerous than badgers.
mcv 5y ago
Well, humans.

gondo 5y ago

"they mostly leave humans alone" there is an adult human and there is a child human.

bogwog 5y ago
Are wolf attacks on children a common issue? I don't think I've ever heard of that happening.
- DoreenMichele 5y ago
  Coyotes are known to attack children and pets. When I lived in the High Desert I didn't hesitate to go out alone after dark but my children weren't allowed to do so. IIRC, there had been two or three attacks on children in the previous five years (edit: in the area I was living).
- zdragnar 5y ago
  Isn't that the point? You don't hear about it because there aren't any wolves, and where there are wolves, you change your behavior ( let kids out on their own much less). Wolf attacks on people are pretty much proportional to the amount of other food they have available and how many people they come into contact with, just like any other predator.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    > You don't hear about it because there aren't any wolves That's a big assumption. > here there are wolves, you change your behavior ( let kids out on their own much less). Kids are already let out so much less than they used to be, so that might not be necessary. > Wolf attacks on people are pretty much proportional to the amount of other food they have available and how many people they come into contact with, just like any other predator. The constant you multiply the proportion by matters a lot.
SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
If children are allowed near dogs then I think children can live in a city where wolves are tens of miles away in the forest and actively avoid anything that sounds of people.

earthscienceman 5y ago

We need to put our emotions aside while managing our wildlife populations. Wolves are not a serious threat to humans and even so, the wilderness is a scary place even without wolves, take appropriate precautions.

mikestew 5y ago

If it’s not wolves, it’ll be something else, at least for a lot of areas in the western U. S. Just the other day I saw a bobcat while I was out running. The dog and I would see coyotes on our morning run, so a bobcat isn’t surprising. There allegedly are cougars around here, but I’ve never seen one. You won’t either, until it’s too late. :-) And then there’s the bears. They’re not grizzlies, though, so not a huge deal. They do occasionally wander through the elementary school yard behind our house, though (as does the bobcat). Oh, yeah, forgot to mention the Alaskan frontier town that I call home: Redmond, WA. It’s not Australia, but there are a few things around here that will give thought to killing you and eating you, even in town.