Guest CT Seeker Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 "Fear" or perhaps intelligent enough to know that it behooves them to stay away from the animal that can potentially shoot at them? Cautious is another good word. Not sure about fear though.
Guest Twilight Fan Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) @ STC - I think deer fear everything by default. (Example; if a deer hears a suspicious crunching of leaves or rustling of bushes, it's already going to be cautious and fearful because it knows it could very well be a predator. I don't think the same can be said for Sasquatch). The only time a deer-like animal loses its fear of humans, that I've seen, is after a human starts feeding them. Edited March 9, 2012 by Twilight Fan
See-Te-Cah NC Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 Agreed, TF. Yet there are many wild animals that could be substituted into my example to prove the point. Most wild animals will flee from a single human in almost all circumstances, with the possible exception of protecting their young. Bears and wolves - both capable of dispatching a human - will avoid them if they even detect their presence. My point is that bigfoot, if it actually exists, should be mentally capable enough to avoid potential threats to it's safety, especially if it has been taught to do so by the previous generation. I believe that's the difference here. As Mike mentioned, some animals emulate the behaviors of their parents/group members when they're young, while others - such as bigfoot - may have the language and cognizance to actually convey the dangers of interacting with humans to their successive generations.
Guest Twilight Fan Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Interesting theory. Okay, let's say like humans, the older Bigfoot family members pass on their knowledge to new generations. There has never been a report (backed by evidence) of a Bigfoot being injured or killed by a human. I wonder why Bigfoot would teach their children to stay away from us at all costs, when we've never hurt them? Do you think they're capable of realizing our intent when we search for them? Hmmm.. Oh and I don't know about you but, I've never seen a bear or other large predator run from a human unless the human shoots at them or scares them in some (usually loud) way. Large predators might avoid humans or keep to their habitats, but fleeing to avoid being seen is different. (Usually it's the HUMAN who flees once they see a bear, not vica versa). Edited March 9, 2012 by Twilight Fan
Guest MikeG Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Again, TF, if I can find them I'll grab some photos and post them of lions I have seen whilst on foot in the bush, mainly in Zambia, but also in Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. They ALL show the animal/s walking away. You just CANNOT get anywhere near a lion on foot. They clear off as soon as they hear you, smell you, see you, or hear the alarm calls of birds warning of your presence. These are all adult male lions, with a territory to defend, and with the ability to disembowel us with one blow of their paws. Mike Edited March 9, 2012 by MikeG
Guest Twilight Fan Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 Wow, really? First of all, how awesome for you to visit Africa! Sounds like a real adventure. And secondly, this surprises me. You must be braver than me, because I would neverrrrrrr risk walking near a lion pride on foot. Yikes! No way, jose. I guess your encounter proves me wrong, that big predators DO sometimes flee. I've never seen it happen, but then again I've also never seen a million dollars. lol
Guest MikeG Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 I spending over two months in Africa this year TF, on 3 different trips. I keep a 4 wheel drive out there permanently. Lion pride?........hmmm, I wouldn't be walking too close to one of those. Almost every animal I can think of is damned dangerous when they have young. No, individuals, or pairs of lions are what I'm talking about, and they will clear off at the first sign of a human. Mike
See-Te-Cah NC Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 Twilight Fan, Again, I see your logic. Yet the truth of the matter is that we are speculating about a possible behavior exhibited by an undiscovered creature. We can woulda, coulda, shoulda all day long, but the only true fact is that we just don't know. As far as bears and other larger predators go, I have personally seen them flee from a single human. Will all of them do it? Probably not, but it does happen. Nothing can be certain when dealing with wild animals. For instance, I doubt that a Kodiac or Polar Bear would flee from a single human, while I know that most Black Bears will. Notice that I didn't say all. This is because nothing is or can be certain when dealing with animals in the wild. I personally believe that if bigfoot actually exists that it has the ability to pass down knowledge of potential human threats - be it fire, arrows, shooting or traps - to it's offspring. Admittedly, I'm not Marlin Perkins, so I could be wrong. I'm also not Steve Irwin, so I won't endanger myself based on my speculation of what even the most seemingly harmless animal can or will do. This is all opinion and worth what everyone has paid to read it.
Guest Twilight Fan Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 Very interesting. I guess the rogue males are like; "Nah, I'm too lazy to hunt this human. I'll just wait until I find a pride to conquer, then make the females do the hunting."
Guest Transformer Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Bears and wolves in real wild country like certain areas of BC and the Yukon are certainly not afraid of humans if they have not had any contact with them before. Black bears are predatory towards humans far more than people realize and that accounts for the large number of human/bear conflicts that are regular occurances amongst people in isolated areas. Wolves will come into people's yards to kill their livestock or dogs. Wolves will attack and kill people. Polar bears view humans as regular prey unless they have been conditioned to fear people. I suggest people try and walk past a grizzly cache if they think grizzly bears fear humans. It will probably be the last thing they ever do. Edited March 9, 2012 by Transformer
Guest Twilight Fan Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 I suggest people try and walk past a grizzly cache if they think grizzly bears fear humans. It will probably be the last thing they ever do. Exactly!
indiefoot Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 I have been thinking that they are uncomfortable when there is less than a certain amount of distance between us and it depends on the situation. When we unexpectedly get closer than they are comfortable with they feel out of control. I think being in control of the encounter is the key. Remember, the thought is that Patty walked up to the nearest vantage point and watched.
Guest Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 The point is: why should a giant creature with no natural predators hide from humans? It's not like other large animals: Elephants don't run from humans. They tread on native turf in Africa, uprooting crops and the only way a village tribe can chase them away (and sometimes without success) is with torches and fire. Hippos don't run from us, they attack our rafts in the water. Kill humans. Tigers and crocodiles stalk us. The list goes on. So why is Bigfoot so afraid to be found or seen by beings that are tiny in comparison to him? Unless he knows what we're capable of (which would mean Bigfoot has incredible comprehension abilities)...I don't see why. Do you? (All theories welcome). We don't know that BF don't have natural predators. A brown bear could plausibly take one out. Very likely in the past they did have more predators that have since gone extinct. I would imagine this is the primary reason they evolved such a good camouflage habit/technique. Numerous species of large cats and bears have gone extinct in the last 10,000 years or so. Then too humans are a dangerous animal and may well have contributed to the persistence of BFs ability to hide. Also 10,000 years is not so long evolutionarily speaking. The pronghorn antelope of NA can still run super-fast (up to 60 MPH) despite the fact that its predator (the american cheetah) is extinct. It's also possible that we simply freak them out. I had a friend once who got completely freaked out when a human dwarf entered the room. I've also seen big dogs try to get away from my tiny little chihuahua. Size and strength don't always mean unafraid.
Guest Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 For me, if the Saquatch is really out there, they have only made it this long BECAUSE they fear and avoid us at all costs...and they would HAVE to conduct most of their business at night. No way they’re out there just doing their thing without strict ingrained behaviour geared to avoiding us..no way! This is all I have to cling to lest I fall totally onto the skeptical side of the fence. Otherwise the whole thing becomes far too hard to believe, for me personally anyway. Cheers
See-Te-Cah NC Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 Bears and wolves in real wild country like certain areas of BC and the Yukon are certainly not afraid of humans if they have not had any contact with them before. Black bears are predatory towards humans far more than people realize and that accounts for the large number of human/bear conflicts that are regular occurances amongst people in isolated areas. Wolves will come into people's yards to kill their livestock or dogs. Wolves will attack and kill people. Polar bears view humans as regular prey unless they have been conditioned to fear people. I suggest people try and walk past a grizzly cache if they think grizzly bears fear humans. It will probably be the last thing they ever do. OK, I can see where you're coming from. However, I myself stated that several of the animals you've mentioned could indeed attack a human: As far as bears and other larger predators go, I have personally seen them flee from a single human. Will all of them do it? Probably not, but it does happen. Nothing can be certain when dealing with wild animals. For instance, I doubt that a Kodiac or Polar Bear would flee from a single human, while I know that most Black Bears will. Notice that I didn't say all. This is because nothing is or can be certain when dealing with animals in the wild. I have personally seen a black bear flee from my presence on my own family's farm. The question is why did these bears run off? Previous experience with humans, maybe? The reason why bigfoot could possibly fear humans is the topic of discussion, with the other predators being used as examples. The point is that if other animals can develop a fear of humans bigfoot can as well. The bolded example of your above-quoted post is an excellent example of a possible learning experience for not only a human, but for the Grizzly Bear as well. I can assure you that if I was walking around alone in Grizzly, Polar or Black Bear habitat, not to mention wolves or other large predators, I would be well-armed because I, as I propose bigfoot is capable of, have been told by those before me that there is a possible danger from the presence of these animals. Consequently, I would fear (have a healthy respect) for these animals. Hopefully, the animal that I would possibly encounter would learn one last, very costly lesson. So, while I smell what you're cookin', I'm still lookin' at the entire menu.
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