In the minds of most people, large carnivores such as lions, tigers, and brown bears pose a significant threat to humans. Consequently, there is a deep-seated fear of these beasts, with concerns about encountering them in the wild and the potential danger that might ensue.
Even if you are fully armed, facing these animals can be a nerve-wracking experience. This fear, triggered by our subconscious, is a natural response when confronted with such predators.
However, recent experiments and research by zoologists suggest that, in reality, when humans and animals share the same area, it is often the animals that feel fear, not the humans. Even those seemingly strong and fierce beasts show signs of unease and vigilance when they encounter humans.
They generally avoid human activity rather than attacking. In other words, most animals prefer to avoid conflict with humans and keep their distance.
Of course, there are exceptions, such as lions and tigers that have become accustomed to preying on humans, which cannot be assessed by usual standards.
In 2017, ecologist Justin Suraci from the University of California conducted an intriguing experiment to study the impact of human activity on animals.
He and his colleagues set up a series of speakers in areas frequented by animals, playing recordings of human speech repeatedly and observing the animals' reactions from a hidden room.
Suraci found that even very gentle human voices could cause wild animals to become agitated.
Whether it was wolves or raccoons, all animals showed vigilance when hearing human voices.
To further test the reactions of larger carnivores, Suraci went to the Santa Cruz Mountains, placing speakers in areas where cougars often hunted.
They played either human voices or frog calls whenever a cougar approached.
The results showed that cougars were indifferent to frog calls but reacted strongly to human voices, sometimes even abandoning their hunt.
After analyzing the data, Suraci discovered that over 80% of cougars quickly fled upon hearing human voices, rather than viewing humans as prey.
The research team then refined the experiment by continuously playing gentle female voices in the same area, hoping the animals would adapt to human presence.
However, the results did not improve. Cougars remained wary of human voices and kept their distance.
Hidden cameras revealed that not only cougars but also other carnivores were affected to varying degrees.
Bobcats increased their nighttime activity, opossums reduced their foraging, and skunks became less active.
These findings suggest that humans have a strong deterrent effect on animals.
The team repeated the experiment in British forests, this time with badgers as the subjects.
They found similar results: badgers largely ignored wolf howls and showed only mild unease at bear growls, but were highly vigilant toward human voices, with some fleeing the area.
Even gentle voices caused most badgers to choose avoidance.
A series of studies indicate that animals' fear of humans far exceeds humans' fear of predators. This fear seems to be ingrained in the animals' genes rather than learned through experience.
This is mainly because humans have learned to use tools, especially long-range weapons, making them apex predators in the eyes of animals.
Therefore, zoologists advise maintaining composure when encountering predators in the wild. Avoid turning and running, as fleeing signals weakness and may trigger a predatory response.
A calm standoff, on the other hand, can intimidate the predator and lead it to retreat.
Of course, one should not provoke predators simply because humans hold a deterrent position in the animal kingdom.
In particular, when facing lions and tigers, it is crucial to avoid reckless actions to prevent unnecessary trouble.
Maintaining separate living and activity spaces is the best way for humans and animals to coexist harmoniously.
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