[Mike Nelson Pedde Participant Posts: 641]

Topical debate

on: September 17, 2019 at 6:33 pm

If you travel and/or if you shoot landscapes or wildlife (or even if you don’t) this is worth reading. And sharing.

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-do-people-keep-touching-animals-in-the-wild

In my years as a biologist type person I’ve been lucky enough to work with moose, bears, foxes, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, fish and a number of other critters and I have friends who also invest a lot of time in the wild. The bottom line is that every animal – moose or mouse or whale or – has a bulls-eye around it with two rings. Outside the first ring, the animal is aware of you but not threatened. As you cross that invisible boundary they’re going to start to feel either nervous or dominant, depending on the individual and the species. If you cross that (invisible) inner circle then you’re going to provoke a flight or fight response. The bottom line is that wildlife attacks on humans can end badly for the humans (this is why we have the Darwin Awards) but they almost always end badly for the wildlife. As tourism becomes bigger and bigger business, more and more people who don’t have a clue and more (less scrupulous) tour operators are going to push the edges until they break.

Mike.

Mike.

_____
Mike Nelson Pedde
Victoria, BC
https://www.wolfnowl.com/

[Kevin Raber Silver Member Posts: 1311]

Re: Why People Keep Trying to Pet Animals at National Parks

Reply #1 on: September 17, 2019 at 8:30 pm

Very True.  I have seen it in Alaska at Denali a lot.  Even if it is not animals I amazed at the lack of what I would call common sense with people.  I see people on top of cliffs posing so they can get an Instagram photo.  I have seen people get washed out to sea as they were too close to raging surf.  I have seen people get out of their cars to approach wildlife like they were pets.  I have even seen people throw things at bears so they would look in their direction for a photo.  In Katmai Park, I always thought it was a waste of time to sit in a briefing by the rangers until I saw that there are just stupid people out there.  And, I must say I have seen photographers do some stupid things also for that special wildlife shot or landscape photo.

 

I just know in my older age I have become a lot smarter and what I call content aware of my surroundings.

Kevin Raber
Owner and Publisher of photoPXL

[Jeremy Roussak Gold Member Posts: 1047]

Re: Why People Keep Trying to Pet Animals at National Parks

Reply #2 on: September 18, 2019 at 12:24 pm

I wonder what “physcrocically” was actually supposed to be. Google says “did you mean psychotically?”, which while I’m sure is not what was meant does have a ring of relevance to it.

Jeremy

[Andrew Molitor Silver Member Posts: 34]

Re: Why People Keep Trying to Pet Animals at National Parks

Reply #3 on: September 18, 2019 at 1:37 pm

I’m pretty sure it just means “physically” and someone accidentally typed “croc” into the middle of it.

[Jeremy Roussak Gold Member Posts: 1047]

Re: Why People Keep Trying to Pet Animals at National Parks

Reply #4 on: September 18, 2019 at 7:05 pm

Andrew Molitor wrote:

I’m pretty sure it just means “physically” and someone accidentally typed “croc” into the middle of it.

As one docroces.

Jeremy

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