I am currently reading this book about the five large carnivores of Scandinavia and I am absolutely humbled, both by finding out how little I knew about them, what prejudice I had against them and how people that live in close proximity to them can both love, respect and be angry with them at the same time. I am reading the original release in Swedish.
- What have you encountered in the wild?
- When, where, how?
- What were your initial thoughts, feelings and reactions (physical, psychological, etc.)?
- What do think of them in general? <— this last question applies to everybody, regardless of whether you have seen or met one of these large carnivores or not.
Personally, without having met any one of them, I am humbled, scared, amazed and intrigued by them. I feel for those whose - for instance - livestock are threatened by them, especially if it directly damages business. I also strongly believe that the matter should not be dumbed down to the dichotmy of “ignore those that suffer from them” or “eradicate them”. We are far too intelligent and developed a race to degrade ourselves so.
I’ve never seen one but I’m pretty sure I’ve been stalked by a puma on more than one occasion. The silence is the most unnerving part. Just dead silence. The birds the squirrels, all of them suddenly stop yapping. Maybe you hear some snapping in the trees. Not a lot. Maybe one twig. And then you leave the area and thank whatever god you worship that attacks are really rare. If the cat wanted you the cat would have you.
I have seen coyotes, and they’re not scary in the slightest unless you have a smaller animal with you. Coyotes are scrawny little bastsrds but they’re devious. I have heard stories about a lone coyote “playing” with a dog, and then luring said dog into the woods where it is then set upon by the pack. Probably just folklore. What’s not folklore is that they’ll absolutely eat your pets and livestock if you give them a chance. They are, in many situations, pests.
I’ve not met a bear but I’m not looking forward to it.
A lot of the commenters report this phenomenon where the critters suddenly stop making sounds. It sounds like a scene from a movie - which is probably the only “place” where I have “experienced” it - but experiencing it in person must be such a humbling experience, whether it’s frightening or amazing.
I have little to no knowledge of pumas, but in the 2011 video game Skyrim, mountain lions can be modded in as extremely high DPS beasts. xD