Why are animals afraid of humans?

[LyrilaFox]

This has been bugging me the past few days, and mods if this is in the wrong forum i appologize, and please move it to the appropiate forum,

I have been wondering why Animals, esspecially animals who have not had an encounter with humans are afraid of us Human beings. as much as i know, animals live in harmony with other, completely different animals in the same ecosystem, but put a human into it and most of the animals run for their lives or attack. Now i may have my facts horribly horribly wrong but what is your opinion about why animals are so afraid of the human Beings

[WhiteTiger89]

It could have something to do with the fact that humans have a long history of killing pretty much anything and everything they come across.

[Kaprika]

yeah..i sorta wondered this too. ALOT actualy.

even in areas with animals that dont see humans alot are like "OMG RUUUN!!!" D8
i wonder if we like...smell funny to them or soemthing....or if they just "know" we dont belong there

[✡]

animals usually aren't afraid of me. Just the other day I was hiking around in some woods and a deer popped up and we just stared at each other for a few minutes before he got bored and walked off. I can get closer to animals than most people

[WhiteTiger89]

animals usually aren't afraid of me. Just the other day I was hiking around in some woods and a deer popped up and we just stared at each other for a few minutes before he got bored and walked off. I can get closer to animals than most people

Likewise. At my local zoo, we have this bird exhibit where people can go in and feed them. Sometimes they'll even land on people. Every time I go in, I see everyone else struggling to get them to come down, and if I've got food on me, I'll have 2-3 at a time land on me and just chill. My current record is 6. The keepers have started calling me "The Bird Whisperer" because of it, and the fact that I can get them to land on me no matter how disinterested they are in everyone else.

yeah..i sorta wondered this too. ALOT actualy.

even in areas with animals that dont see humans alot are like "OMG RUUUN!!!" D8
i wonder if we like...smell funny to them or soemthing....or if they just "know" we dont belong there

I think it's more a matter of how unpredictable the average human is. Add that to the fact that the human species has a long history of killing pretty much every other living thing we come into contact with, and I'm sure it's at least partially an evolved response.

[✡]

animals usually aren't afraid of me. Just the other day I was hiking around in some woods and a deer popped up and we just stared at each other for a few minutes before he got bored and walked off. I can get closer to animals than most people

Likewise. At my local zoo, we have this bird exhibit where people can go in and feed them. Sometimes they'll even land on people. Every time I go in, I see everyone else struggling to get them to come down, and if I've got food on me, I'll have 2-3 at a time land on me and just chill. My current record is 6. The keepers have started calling me "The Bird Whisperer" because of it, and the fact that I can get them to land on me no matter how disinterested they are in everyone else.

yeah..i sorta wondered this too. ALOT actualy.

even in areas with animals that dont see humans alot are like "OMG RUUUN!!!" D8
i wonder if we like...smell funny to them or soemthing....or if they just "know" we dont belong there

I think it's more a matter of how unpredictable the average human is. Add that to the fact that the human species has a long history of killing pretty much every other living thing we come into contact with, and I'm sure it's at least partially an evolved response.

I think it's because I have a real "chill man" attitude

[BlackFerret]

as much as i know, animals live in harmony with other, completely different animals in the same ecosystem

I don't think that is quit right. Have you ever seen what happens when a mouse realizes that there is a cat or an other predator around? Why is it absolutley wrong to have a ferret and a rat as pets in the same room?
It is not only stress for those animals it is abolute and pure Horror. They fear for life and though the cat might not even attack, the mouse can die just because of a heart attack.
Ferrets smell rats and rats smell Ferrets...both animals will never ignore their nature as it is supposed to be. There are a few exceptions, but these are mostly seen with pets and not with wild living animals.

There are Ferrets who will become friends with Rats. There are dogs that will become friends with a small bunny. There are Lions that will remember the human they grew up with.

But how often are there lions that become friends with zebras in their natural environment. The Fox won't stop hunting a rabbit just because it is cute. An eagle will continue hunting though the mice he kills has lots of new born babys.

This just is nature. It is not cruel nor horrible. Animals won't kill just because for fun or because they want a new part of the forrest of their own, as we humans do. They just live. And because of that they recognize the human as a predator. I don't think that a lion, tiger or even an Rhino will run of a human because of fear.
And not all animals fear humans. They know exactley when there is no harm for them. How many wild boars, foxes, racoons and birds have started to live IN human towns. Not because only there is plenty of food and nice, warm housings. No...humans just don't go over and kill them. They can also feel if a human is attracted to them and just respects them, or maybe fears them. Have you ever realized that cats often go to people which just don't like them?
Dogs too have people they like and some they don't.

There are humans that have some...bond with animals. Or better...they just understand how to behave so that animals won't fear them. It isn't helpful to squeak and cuddle. Just be quiet and relaxed, show respect and you earn respect. Something I learned over the years I live with animals and photographe them.

[LyrilaFox]

yes, i know that, i have lizards and i read that if there is another animal at eye level it can give the lizard exess stress,

and by the harmony thing i meant like on the african savanah for example, the animals get to the water hole, completely aware of each other and they sit there, drinking, and sure they kill each other but thats natural but if you throw a few humans into the mix the whole watering hole turns into Hell in a handbasket

[BlackFerret]

and by the harmony thing i meant like on the african savanah for example, the animals get to the water hole, completely aware of each other and they sit there, drinking, and sure they kill each other but thats natural but if you throw a few humans into the mix the whole watering hole turns into Hell in a handbasket

In Africa they don't really have an other possibility. Of course the animals have to be all around the water hole, who knows if there is other water around, or how long it will be there. The less water there is, the more it stretches nerves. Have you maybe seen this wonderful movie "Earth"? There you have good examples that it is not just peace. And sure, they know the other animals. They are familar with them. But there are no humans living directly to them in the savannah. Suddenly there is a strange animal you've never seen and don't know how it acts, so they run. But if you stay quiet they will come back. If you don't rush into the situation I am quite sure that they won't even run directly.

This goes for all places where humans are not part of every days life. We too are often scared of things we don't know, even if they are completley harmless. This is how we all, animals and humans, survive.

[Kyriin]

This is just a small contribution, seeing as most of what I could think up in the first place has been said already. A lot of animals are smaller than us people. There are many small animals in the wild, of course as well as large animals. But think, if you were one of these small animals and saw a human that you have never seen before (like BlackFerret said) AND having it significantly larger than you, would you flee? Unless of course you had a proper feature to your species that would definitely defend yourself against a human, you most likely would. Put it this way- it's the exact same. If you, as a human without any weapons etc, saw a bear in the wild come towards you unexpectedly, what would you do? Go up and pet it? - you would likely be it's nom. Or get shredded apart. Animals know it too, better safe than sorry (so RUUUUUUNNNN!)

[Ninjalion]

You've been used to living with creatures walk on fours, and with fur. I'm sure you've seen allot of your other animals, predator and prey. Then this Alien comes into your forest, or whatever. They're not walking like us, they have no fur, they seem like predators, they're moving towards me. Oh crap, should I run or fight? Now there is a few situations were an animal and human might bond, but what kind of history does that said creature have? So its pretty much a new thing for most of these creatures.

Bears can outrun humans. You can run, but it will likely charge you. I watched a grizzly from a distance peering through a telescope. Let me just tell you their initial burst is quite amazing. Many other animals can out run humans as well, if you run from a Cougar. It will most likely think your prey, and chase you.

The best thing for you to do is to avoid the animal at all costs, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE, and always pay attention to your surroundings. We can live together if we are responsible.

[Self-sain]

Fear is an instinct used to stay alive. Animals fear humans becuase they are born to fear us, they are born to fear large things, they are born to fear fire, they are born to fear. Animals that don't fear humans are probably dead/extinct, or are merged into out society.

[ArcticSkyWolf]

humans are usually in cities/towns now a days...

[Sij]

I believe animals are afraid of humans because of their instincts. We're bigger, we can kill or hurt them. So they run. Simple survival. That is what life is about after all. Survival of the fittest.

[Daemon]

animals are afraid of us because they probably haven't seen us before. they don't know what we are. simple answer, that.