By William D. Balgord

The adage “familiarity breeds contempt” applies to behavior around wild animals, whether in herds of bison or elk, or a roving bear, cougar, or gator.

Wild animals larger than an average-sized dog should be given a safe, wide berth, as a matter of course. They are not part of a petting zoo.

As the 2022 tourist season draws to its close, several untoward incidents, some involving reckless behavior around large animals, have been reported that, unfortunately for the humans involved, proved dangerous and harmful.

Two members of a collegiate wrestling team were attacked by a grizzly while searching for shed antlers in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. Unprovoked, the bear suddenly charged from nearby cover and assaulted the closer of the two. It released him after giving the victim a severe mauling, then attacked the second, before finally breaking off the assault, leaving both men seriously injured.

An unpredictable grizzly may leave an area when approached by humans or, just as likely, launch a fearsome attack. Fortunately, both wrestlers are expected to recover completely.

Grizzlies are notorious for attacking backcountry visitors in our northwestern national parks. On average, three fatalities are attributed to the bears annually.

The National Park Service posts advice to hikers venturing into grizzly country: “It is a good idea for hikers to maintain constant vigilance for the presence of a clan or a stray individual that could pose a threat well ahead of their path.”

A personal experience came when I was hiking in the Wind River Range near Lander, Wyoming, years ago. Retracing my steps back down the trail returning to camp before dark, I came around a large boulder and saw a female moose and calf on the trail not 30 feet ahead. I backed away and climbed the boulder, as I heard the two crashing their way through the aspens.

Rangers in Glacier National Park recommend hikers travel in groups in bear country and bang cooking pots together or ring cowbells to announce their approach. Forewarning is far the better strategy to avoid close encounters with grizzlies. Bear-spray may be an effective deterrent, but in the heat of the precious moment it is not necessarily a reliable defense against a charging animal weighing more than half a ton.

Fatal attacks by the more reclusive mountain lion are rarer than those initiated by bears. A stalking cougar should never be run from. The figure of a fleeing human will trigger its predatory instinct. The cat quickly runs down natural prey or an unwitting human, irrespective.

Online services feature stories of tourists running afoul of elk and bison that have inflicted bodily harm. Such an incident happened just within the previous few weeks. It has become fashionable in certain poorly informed circles to attempt “selfies” while standing close to an elk or bison. There may be fewer of these beasts around since the days of the Wild West, but they can be just as ornery today as when Buffalo Bill Cody rode the range in the Dakota Territories.

A woman who may fancy herself a budding free-lance reporter attempted to approach a small herd of bison near Cody, Wyoming. As she approached within 30 feet, the alpha-male took umbrage and charged. The decisive action was caught on her camera.

The bull quickly tossed the would-be TicTok poster child and her smart phone into the nearby mesquite, leaving it to rescuers to rush her to the nearest hospital. Fortunately, she survived without live-threatening injuries. But the lesson is clear. Do not trouble a two-ton bison or other inherently dangerous wildlife minding its own business. They aren’t called wild for nothing. That is exactly what they are: large, strong, fast, and highly unpredictable potential adversaries on their own turf.

But the beasts of the field do not hold sole claim as causes of human death and injury. Surfboarders who ply the breakers face another potential threat. There are abundant sharks patrolling our shorelines just off the beaches. Several varieties pose serious threat: bull sharks, great whites, and lemon sharks, among other toothy species.

Shark bites nearly always come about because of a tactical mistake on the part of the “man in the gray suit.” He is present only because of fish in the immediate vicinity. The shark is hunting dinner and may easily mistake a human leg for a sea trout.

Human flesh and blood are not appetizing to the run-of-the mill shark, which, after taking an initial bite, will reject it and move on to snag the next fish. But shark bites can leave a victim bleeding from a gaping wound that requires immediate first aid. An attacked surfer who had been paddling a quarter mile off the beach may quickly bleed to death before receiving proper treatment. An incident like this happened a few years ago near Stuart, Florida, where a well-known figure died following a shark attack, exactly as described.

Remember, a feeding shark is looking for fish. Turbulent water just off the beach is roiled so that a shark cannot easily distinguish between a human arm or leg and a fish.

Not least among deaths caused by wildlife are from snakebites. On average five deaths happen in the US annually from some 7,000 to 8,000 reported bites from various serpents, venomous and non-venomous. The majority of fatalities befall older male victims, many with pre-existing health conditions.

Constant vigilance when entering the habitats of rattlesnakes, copperheads, water moccasins, and coral snakes will most likely prevent an encounter close enough for a venomous snake to deliver its strike. Wearing thick trousers and leather boots extending well above the ankle will help ward off bites.

Hikers are advised not to wear sandals or low-cut shoes in snake country and to forego the impulse to pick up a snake for whatever reason. Even a non-venomous variety can deliver a painful bite that might become infected.

The growing problem of adverse interactions between humans and wild animals is compounded by ongoing development into areas that were formerly undisturbed habitat for the animals in question. The situation is further complicated by the lack of basic understanding and common sense among naïve tourists, many of whom grew up in urban surroundings without prior contact with species requiring plenty of open space.

Some also seem to believe they are doing an animal a favor by feeding it. The sadder-but-wiser tourist comes to grief attempting to hand off the last bite of a hamburger to a foraging bear, only to discover that the bear didn’t make an accurate distinction between the hamburger and the extending hand.

It is the policy of federal and state agencies to put down any animal that has seriously injured a human being. Please do yourselves and animals a big favor by avoiding circumstances that might provoke an attack.

William D. Balgord, Environmental & Resources Technology, Inc. in Middleton, WI, is a contributing writer for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.