To think being scared by wolves is normal?

[PokeAndyInTheEye]

Just that really, you’re hiking and up ahead you see a big dog - then another big dog - then you realise they’re not dogs. AIBU to think it’s pretty normal to panic at this point? Or is it worthy of ridiculing someone over?

Did someone mention geese? Courtesy tag for @CobraChicken

If you UK yabu ..if in a country with wolves walk carefully...

Either a lot of morons on this thread, or liars.

Regardless of the likelihood or not of an attack, most normal people would have a healthy fear. I say this as someone very, very comfortable with animals (have worked with many species of dangerous wild animals in my time), and tend to not have the normal fear that people usually do (and should have) with animals capable of great harm.

Wild Orca's don't have a habit of attacking humans either, yet most commenting would shit their pants if one swam by them whilst they were taking a dip. I would be more nervous of a pack of wolves within a decent vicinity, than an orca (or shark), regardless of their secretive and shy nature.

Three species, out of all I've gotten close to, give me the true heebie jeebies. Polar bears, chimps and tigers. None of these I've enjoyed turning my back on, even with bars between myself and the animal.

Very easy for folks on mumsnet, mainly from safe little Britain, and most having never had any sort of close encounter with any dangerous animal, to ridicule someone having come across wild animals, whom would be able to do nothing at all about it if the animals chose to attack. Extremely unlikely, but not impossible.

Don't worry OP. Whilst a couple have posted sensible and somewhat knowledgeable viewpoints, the rest are obviously people missing an IQ number or 20. Mind the video of the family getting out of the car to take pictures with Cheetah's? Think along those lines.

Downtown Leeds on a Friday night? Depends

I don’t think it’s an unusual reaction to seeing wolves or even stray dogs but even if it were, the fact people are still ridiculing you is nonsense. Tbh unless the people concerned are under the age of 17 I’d find it really childish and wonder if they had something else against me to keep banging on about it?

I I lived in a shared house in America where a squirrel somehow got in. I screamed and ran each time I seen it. I don’t mind seeing them out and about but in my house was a step too far. This one would dart around so fast and it took days for us to get it out and block the entrance. There was some mild amusement from people at the time at my horror surrounding the unwelcome bushy tailed visitor, but no-one went on about it. We’re all different.

FWIW I’d have freaked out although of course I’d have tried outwardly to remain calm so as not to attract the attention of the wolf.

oh and I was told the stray dogs in Thailand were all friendly and safe. I still chose to avoid them and despite that, one tried to bite me anyway when I encountered it early in the morning one day on the beach with barely anyone around . I was told by a local security guard (who rescued me by chucking stones at it) that particular dog had already bitten various others who has got too close with petting it. the whole fiasco told me I was right to be wary and keep my distance.

I'm from Montana. Spent my entire childhood and most adult life there, in prime wolf and bear country. These animals are far more scared of you as you are of them. They have a natural fear of humans. Use common sense and give them space and they will leave you alone. Most injuries from wild animals are humans being stupid. Case in point tourist dying or being injured from trying to pet bison, who kill far more people then bears and wolves.

It is human instinct to be afraid of wolves.
In the past, if they were not starving, they would usually give humans a wide berth.
However- now in the USA they have raise and release programs and these animals are not nearly as afraid.
In fact, a friend of mine in New Mexico was dragged from his horse and his leg badly mauled when out checking his cattle.

I would be scared.

It's certainly not healthy but neither is ridiculing someone who's having mental health struggles. I wouldn't consider someone a loved one if they could do that to me and I wouldn't treat anyone that way either.

^ This

It’s disrespectful of them to keep mocking you all these years later. Unless you did something truly bizarre in response to seeing them it really can’t be that entertaining to them still.

That said I was not afraid of wolves when I encountered them, I was just excited since they can be elusive. I’ve traveled a lot and had the good fortune to see many animals in the wild including wolves, bears, elephants, lions, orcas, white sharks, etc. Out of my encounters, the only one that I was really afraid/apprehensive of was a mountain lion. They have no issues stalking and attacking people that are running, hiking, or biking, especially from up high. The one that followed me was on a ridge and didn’t flee immediately, so that was pretty unnerving. However I should add that some of my fondest early memories are sitting on a truck with my uncle while a pride of lions walked within feet of us so I did have a lot of early exposure to wild animals. I would imagine that the less experienced you are with animals, the more alarming they can be. Especially if you encounter them when you’re not expecting it!

The one creature that really freezes my blood every time I’ve encountered them is rattlesnakes! There is some sort of primal horror that activates the moment you hear that rattle and screams at you to get the hell away from it. 😂

Many years ago, I was visiting London Zoo with some friends and as we were walking along, the hairs on the back of my head rose up. It was so sudden and such a powerful physical response that I cried out and commented on it to the people I was with.

Then we saw we were practically outside the wolf enclosure. Definitely some sort of ancestral memory thing going on there!

I have absolutely shit myself when it came to encounters with cows, mountain goats and sheep, so anything wilder than that would no doubt provoke sheer panic for me.
Can't change who you are ( but I do laugh at myself once I'm out of 'danger')
Some of us just aren't very brave, and that's OK!

If it's something you're scared of, then it's shit to keep bringing it up. Personally- no, wouldn't bother me (would be more excited) as wolf attacks are almost a 0% chance. But you had a fear and having the piss taken out of you repeatedly is pretty unpleasant behaviour.

What do you mean by panicking? What did you actually do?

Some of the posts on the thread are quite amusing. News flash! Wild animals don't read statistics and act accordingly. It's good to have a healthy respect of their nature and space and back off.

What do you mean by panicking? What did you actually do?

I think this is the key question as to why the other person keeps bringing it up not the fear itself.

Panicking, probably no, that’s generally a reaction to be avoided whatever the situation. Fear, definitely I’d be afraid if suddenly face to face with a predator. That’s a totally normal reaction.

As other people have said though, years of piss taking is really the issue. Some people are just immature. Unfortunately Christmas tends to bring out this crap!

@therealcookiemonster i can’t recall as it was so long ago and DM arranged it as it was research into a book she was writing. If I recall it was in Berkshire. I’ve just googled and I was right about location, it was in Reading and called UK Wolf Conservation Trust. It’s now closed, not sure why.