How often do you encounter dangerous wildlife?

28 comments

1. My neck of the woods we have bears, snakes, and coyotes. Most people never see the bears, almost everyone will hear coyotes but not see them very often, and snakes, pretty common if you’re keeping your eyes open.

2. some major cities have coyotes roaming the streets at night, but theyre more a danger to pets than people. sometimes a bear or mountain lion is spotted in town, but i’ve only ever been notified of that via the news, i havent personally seen one of those. snakes are pretty common as soon as you leave any urban area, except maybe in the coldest regions. cities in the southwest, not uncommon to encounter tarantulas or scorpions in your home or outside. in the southeast, you probably won’t see many gators in the largest cities, but any mid size city near water, you might occasionally get a lost gator wandering around or at least spotted on the edge of the water. this is all from a city dwelling perspective – these all become much more common in rural areas. if you count venomous spiders as dangerous animals, black widows are everywhere, brown recluses are common in warmer areas. wolves are fairly uncommon outside of alaska.

3. We have bear, snakes etc here in New Jersey, but I wouldn’t call them dangerous.

   If you don’t harass them, they don’t bother you. Last time I encountered a bear was well over a decade ago at my sister in law’s old house. They had bear in their yard constantly. I’m not even sure of the last time I encountered a snake that wasn’t just a garter snake or similar. I have never encountered a rattle snake here though we have them.

   Like anything environmental, when you grow up around it you just learn by living. In Florida they know not to go in the water in areas where gators live because your parents tell you, “Don’t go in that water Johnny” from an early age. No need to learn it in school

4. Barely ever even when I lived in an area with lots of trees, forest and bodies of water. I have seen deer, ducks, geese, raccoons and armadillo’s but barely ever (though these aren’t particularly dangerous most of the time). I know they are around, but they still to the water and green space.

5. I saw a black bear once up in the Poconos. It just wanted to eat our garbage and sniff around the grill for grease and food scraps, and I scared it away by banging on a rock.

   Other than that there are a handful of venomous snakes and spiders around my region but I think they kill people like a couple times per decade if that, I’ve never seen a venomous snake I just know they exist in this area, technically. I’ve seen a couple black widow spiders over the years. Wild animals generally don’t want to be near humans. It’s rare for them to attack people because they just want to be left alone, and most people don’t live in rural enough areas for them to be a huge threat anyway.

   Deer getting themselves hit by cars is easily the most dangerous thing that happens related to wildlife, you’ve gotta watch out for them at certain times of the year in particular, which is just something you are taught as a child or teenager starting to drive. I’ve hit deer 3 times in my life but it’s been several years since the last time.

6. Coyotes are around here, but the likelihood of me encountering them in central Indiana without doing something stupid is pretty slim.

   There’s some snakes around here but the most you’re likely to encounter are garter snakes, pretty small and not particularly harmful.

7. We have snakes, a friend recently encountered a rattlesnake in her shed and that was kind of a big deal. Black bear are occasionally sighted in our area. Mountain lions live here too but they stay far away from people. The only mountain lions I’ve seen have been on trail camera footage but they are out in the woods so it’s possible to come across them. The most dangerous animal I have personally encountered is a deer that bolted out in front of my car wrecking the front end (and killing the deer). Deer v. car accidents account for a lot of damage and death, unfortunately.

   We actually learned at school to avoid wild animals and what to do if we encounter one and how to identify poisonous snakes and poisonous plants (poison ivy, etc). Apart from school, we learn from family or friends. We were lucky. My uncle is an avid outdoorsman and he worked for the conservation department for many years.

8. In my home state comming across a snake wasn’t uncommon, but they weren’t venimous. I did cross paths with a black bear when I was riding a bike, but it took off when we locked eyes.. They really do scare easy for the most part.

   The worst or the one I was the most scared in was actually a dog. I don’t know the back story. I assume someone dropped it off and left it, but I couldn’t swear to it. It wouldn’t back down and kept getting closer while showing aggression. A married couple showed up and let me jump in the back of their pick-up. They called animal control and I went back for my bike after they confirmed to catching it.

9. In suburbia, rarely. We do have coyotes though but don’t see them. My parents live in the country and have bears they have to deal with in addition to mountain lions and rattlesnakes. Like Alaska, step out of your car there, you’re stepping into the food chain and you’re not at the top.

10. I see black bears every now and again, they’re not especially dangerous. As long as you don’t get between them and their cubs you can just scare them off by yelling at them.

    There’s coyotes all over the place around here but they avoid humans pretty well I’ve only ever seen one pack and they ran away when they saw me.

    I’ve seen a handful of black widows (venomous spiders) but they avoid humans too so they won’t bite until you’re trying to get at them when they’re in a crevasse or something

    The most bold wild animal by me are the raccoons, they’re little bastards but not especially dangerous.

    The most dangerous thing by me is a rabid animal. You gotta run away from them and call animal control, I’ve only had to do that once with a rabid raccoon but it sucked so bad I was so scared

    I learned to yell at the bears because that’s what my friend did the first time I ever saw a bear. I ran away from the raccoon because duh, who wouldn’t? Seems pretty obvious

11. We have tons of coyotes but I wouldn’t consider them dangerous.

    I’ve seen bears in the area but they’re black bears so they’re basically big raccoons, you make noise and they run away. Mountain lions are what I’m most wary of, though I’ve never actually seen one. I have no doubt multiple have seen me. Those are why I carry a pistol when I hike alone.

    The most dangerous animals by far around here are moose but they’re very rare to come across and I never have.

12. I’ve lived in Tennesse and California – two very different wildlife scenarios. In TN it’s mostly things like Black Widow or Brown Recluse spiders, maybe a snake, but mainly deer on roads that can hit your car and kill you. Deer are actually the most dangerous wildlife in the U.S. for that reason. I’ve had a black window living in a flower pot in my yard. I yanked my hand back so fast when I saw the red dot on the belly.

    In CA I regularly encountered coyotes – got stalked by them twice while walking dogs. Had to walk backwards while facing them to keep them from attacking. They apparently see eye contact as a threat. But in L.A. it’s common to see coyotes walking around even in the suburbs or urban areas. Usually they’re skittish enough not to come too close, but if they’re hungry enough they don’t care as much. I also had to look out for mountain lions and rattlesnakes in CA, but never saw one in person. I did have a couple of black widows hanging out in my storage room. That was fun.

    I was taught about the poisonous spiders and rattlesnakes as a kid. We learned how to identify them, and to not stick your hand into a dark crevice without a glove or checking first. You learn what rattlesnakes sound and look like, and you learn about bear safety if you’re hiking/camping. It’s not uncommon to carry bear spray or a weapon in those situations just in case.

    Oh yeah – in CA I would hear the coyote calls every night, and occasionally hear their prey screaming bloody murder while it was being…murdered. Sounds you never want to hear.

13. There are bears and coyotes in my area but I never see them. Something knocked over my trash can and dragged it ten feet or so a few weeks ago, but I’m guessing raccoons are more likely.

    While technically dangerous, black bears and coyotes very rarely attack people, so I do not take any precautions.

    We do have venomous snakes like timber rattlesnakes and copperheads, but the only thing you have to do there is not step on them. Similar story with black widow spiders.

14. Alligators, fairly often in Florida. We leave them alone, they’re only problematic if someone has fed the previously and they now look at humans as a food source. In such cases we have to notify Fish and Game and have them put down. In 12 years I’ve sadly have to have 4 put down (we live on pond front property). My children also know to repeatedly punch a gator on it’s snoot as hard as they can should the unthinkable happen.

    Bobcats and Panthers are not uncommon but I’ve never had an issue, I avoid them and they avoid me. We’ve have a water moccasin a couple of times… that’s the point I freak out and let no one outside until pest control clears the area.

15. My town used to be the dumping grounds for bears they caught in the populated areas so there’s quite a lot of bears around. Especially in the summer I see them every other week or so. I’ve never seen one but someone inevitably claims they saw a bobcat every couple years too. I deal with bears by shooting them with a BB gun and locking up my trash. The bobcat seems to not be interested in my yard so I don’t deal with him.

    There’s a porcupine that lives near my house too, see him almost every day but I don’t think he’s really all that dangerous to an adult that knows better. If I had kids or pets I might be more concerned.

16. I remember when I was a teenager a friend and I would go fishing in random lakes and ponds around us. One we had to jump a chain link fence and go down this fairly steep hill. So we jumped it and were sort of running down the hill, we get about halfway down and at the bottom sunning itself is probably a 10 foot gator. The hill was so steep you couldn’t just stop, you basically just slid down. We started screaming really loud and the gator actually jumped up and dove into the water and swam off. We actually scared it as much as it scared us. Lol I am more mindful around water now.

17. Dangerous wildlife is one reason so many people here own guns. My dad has found bear tracks in his backyard. He has a gun in case he has to protect his dog.

18. I’ll occasionally see coyotes and deer.

19. Mosquitos and ticks are a constant problem. Both carry diseases that can be debilitating or life threatening.

    As far as big animals go, the worst in the area is probably deer. If you hit one with your car, you’re in trouble. And that happens a lot. Usually, the first one crosses safely, but then there are two or three more, and one of those later ones will have the poor judgement to cross when you’re too close to stop.

    There are also coyotes, which will kill cats and dogs left out overnight, and very occasionally a black bear, which if acclimated to city living by feeding regularly on trash and birdseed, will be seen as a threat to humans because while they almost never attack people and are unagressive, at 300 lbs one could do a lot of damage if it felt threatened.

20. I used to see foxes, coyotes, bears, and snakes on a monthly basis when I lived in the rural northeast. I never felt particularly in danger in those cases, as they are typically afraid of people and keep their distance. Moose, though, are an entirely different story. Children in my town were taught to be very cautious around them and keep our distance, as they can be highly aggressive when provoked.

21. I see sharks at least once a week, sometimes more often. If you don’t bother them, they don’t bother you. Also just generally good practice of being aware of your surroundings before you spear a fish and being mindful of what you’re doing with that fish/where any sharks may be while you’re in possession of it.

    I’ve never been afraid of them and I’ve just learnt good practice from others around me.

22. We have bears, cougars, moose, etc. Generally, as long as you don’t fuck with them, they won’t fuck with you.

23. Mosquitos and ticks are a constant problem. Both carry diseases that can be debilitating or life threatening. I don’t remember if wearing bug spray and checking for ticks was mentioned in school, but I’m sure my pediatrician brought it up to my parents.

    As far as big animals go, the worst in the area is probably deer. If you hit one with your car, you’re in trouble. And that happens a lot. Usually, the first one crosses safely, but then there are two or three more, and one of those later ones will have the poor judgement to cross when you’re too close to stop. This was discussed in driving lessons.

    There are also coyotes, which will kill cats and dogs left out overnight, and very occasionally a black bear, which if acclimated to city living by feeding regularly on trash and birdseed, will be seen as a threat to humans because while they almost never attack people and are unagressive, at 300 lbs one could do a lot of damage if it felt threatened. They’re rare in my area, but one will wander through every few years. This was not covered in school, but bears didn’t live in my area when I was a kid.

24. In my part of Kansas, it’s not uncommon to see bobcats, coyotes, foxes, and badgers. They mostly keep to themselves but the new family of foxes that moved in have started getting curious.

25. Not very often for most people. It does highly depend on where you are. People who live in areas with significant issues with hazardous animals get taught what precautions to take by their parents, but some people will move to new areas and never pick up the knowledge.

    Most of the snakes I see are harmless ones. I typically only see the venomous ones when I go out of my way to look for their habitat.

    I typically only see bears in National Parks, though I have seen their tracks or scat in a few other places. They are pretty shy and often run away if they hear you coming.

    I’ve talked to a few people who swear up and down that they’ve seen a Mountain Lion locally, but there’s been no confirmed sighting in my state in a very long time (over a century). I keep telling anyone who claims to see one to get a picture and get it in the hands of some researchers or upload to iNaturalist, but no one has actually gotten that kind of hard evidence. I’ve traveled out west to where they should be a few times, but I’ve never seen one (I’m a biologist and amateur photographer so I actively look for cool animals when I travel).

    I’m too far north for Alligators and the few times I’ve traveled south I haven’t managed to see one.

    Coyotes are all over the place. In some spots, I see their scat, tracks, and hear their yipping regularly but actually laying eyes on one is rare.

26. Living on an island means that I don’t encounter much dangerous wildlife except for Canadian geese and swans. However I cannot stress enough that these birds are assholes.

27. Almost daily, if I really think about it. So I suppose the answer is “often enough that I need to think carefully about the definition of ‘daily’ “.

    99.99% of the time it’s just a “ignore it and move along with your day” sort of thing. The wildlife just wants you to leave it alone, and is happy to return the favor by leaving you alone. They have no interest in an inedible predator that’s often 5 times their size.

    If you follow some *really* basic rules (e.g. don’t feed the wildlife) generally you can have a “live and let live” arrangement with the local critters.

    Tourist areas are the big, big, big exception here though. Idiot tourists of all varieties insist on feeding the wildlife, which makes the wildlife associate humans with being an easy source of food.

    The critters don’t care much about little details such as whether food is coming *from* a human hand or the food is the hand itself. A lot of our local wildlife has to be killed by local authorities every year because of this: if an animal has started associating humans with food, they become a serious menace to the locals when the tourists all leave.

28. We have a bear in our neighborhood but I have yet to see it!

    I feel cheated.

    Skunks are probably the most “dangerous” thing I encounter on the regular besides deer because they will destroy a car with their life. They are the ISIS of wildlife.