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So, I was discussing animal cognition with a friend of mine who works at a Zoo, Dallas zoo to be precise and while on the topic of mirror tests and self-awareness, he mentioned the fact that some of the staff there will go down and draw in a sketchbook with them and the Gorillas love it, they'll come up to her and socialize and get excited to see the drawings. However, when a phone is pulled out they instinctively turn their backs to everyone, as if in protest. It's pretty deliberate. So my thing is, I wonder if this is a common occurrence and how often do BFs see a camera and associate it with a gun or something, because you're aiming something at them while they don't have a clue what it is. I dunno, food for thought but I found the whole thing very interesting.

Clear and easily distinguishable as penguins based on the photo's subject(s). Should be the same with Fox, a horse, a person, etc. No need for circles, arrows or explanation. No excuses, either. As I said earlier - Inconclusive at best. That's my opinion. You're welcome to yours.

There's gotta be something to it, it would not surprise me if the entirety of the species in NA has some kind of PTSD from early settlers decimating the wildlife populations, and ofc getting shot at and killed. So with anything "aiming" at them, triggers this kind of avoidance response, cameras included, for all they know it might be some fancy new weapon.

It's cool she has all those photographs to show us.

Then having generational trauma caused by humans is an interesting concept. I might even call it genetic memory. Any of them that buddied up to us, or even ignores us, died of disease or violence at a rate sufficient to cut off that line of DNA so much so that the only survivors are those who avoided us like the plague instinctually. I feel like we have those same instincts about them. And I feel we are just as genetically encoded against them as they are genetically encoded against us. Don't believe me? The rumble from a big cat can set your hair on end for a reason.

Much closer to us than a Chimp. Which is 98.9% the same? (I think)

There must be more to it because they also avoid trail cams that can be out for months at a time . I have had black bears knock a couple of trail cams off a tree but it was more like curiosity of them seeing something attached on the tree . I know for a fact crows can scatter if they are in a field when you drive in if they see you pull out anything that looks like a long gun.

Absolutely !! "they" know what guns are and what they can do....to the wildlife (and maybe to them too) but a camera, maybe the new one with all electronics they get (like the trailcam)...but an old 16mm...not sure. FWIW

Today in stuff that never happened....

I'm afraid the crux of the topic is the witnesses honesty. There is no case for misidentification or misinterpretation here. Either it's the most incredible Interaction with an unknown species. Which for the most part defies what we think what we know about their behaviours. Or we all know what the alternate is.... To suggest that we can only comment on this topic if we are fully on board with the incredible and unsubstantiated claims simply won't fly.

I was a Marine also Semper Fi but in your post you said we need to locate these people and verify them . Anyone making these big claims without a shred of evidence is just talk so there is no way to verify them .