Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-02-22
FEAR OF WILD ANIMALS.
There Is Really Less Ground for 1t
Than for Dread of
Lightning.

OF all questions asked by people who
have never been much out of doors none
seems so simple to the old-timers as
that which concerns the dangers to
which the camper may be exposed from
the attacks of wild beasts. 1t is chief
ly women and children who ask such
questions, but it is evident that in the
brains of many inexperienced persons
is firmly established belief that wild
animals are dangerous-that wolves,
panthers and bears prowl about seek
ing whom they may devour. This be-
lief is in all probability a survival in
part of earlier days, when the most civ
ilized men dwelt largely in the east,
where might be encountered lions
which would attack them, or hyenas
ready to snap up the stray child wan
dering away from the camp, or bears of
the type encountered by the irreverent
infants who apostrophized Elisha, and
also in part of that time when the
weapons of primitive man were so fee
BILE and of so little avail against the wild
beasts that these were justly to be
feared.
This feeling, says Forest and Stream,
already existing is encouraged and
strengthened by a certain amount OF
the writing of the day. The average
man and woman love to read bear or
panther or wolf story not less than
do small boys and round-eyed children
listen with pleasure to the tales of some
venerable uncle or grandfather who re-
lates the story of the wolves that used
to howl about. his cabin or visit his
| sheep fold when first he settled in the
| country.
In this land of America, as many
know, there are no such things as dam
gerous animals, though there are crea-
| lures which may be made dangerous.
The wolf, the bear and the cougar are
far more anxious to get away from man
than man is to get away from them.
| If given the opportunity they will al
| ways slip away and run, and if they
fight it is because they believe that
they have been cut off from every ave-
been wounded it is a different matter.
Then often considerations of prudence
are forgotten and the animal acts on
impulse, instead doing what it knows
to be wise; but even so, there is much
more danger from a wounded deer than
from a wounded panther, and vastly
| 1IOm d WOuuOcO llOOSS.
But for the average man who is trav-
cling through a new country where
wild animals may, be plenty, who stops
when he has made days march and is
at home where night finds him, there
lis not now nor ever was more danger
from the wild animals of the country
than from the lightnings which blaze
in the summer sky. Many more people
have been killed by lightning than
have been run over by stampeding buff
falo herds or killed by unwounded griz-
ely bears or by all the other animals OF
the prairie put together. One might
almost say that more people have been
istruck by falling meteorites than have
been killed by panthers or wolves. And
yet from day to day the newspapers
continue to print bear stories, cata-
mount stories and wolf stories, and
probably they will do SO until long
after the last bear, catamount and wolf
shall have disappeared from the Land.
The Second Need.
Stockman-You remember that
pointer you gave me on the street
yesterday?
Bonds-Yes; what about it?
Stockman-Why, I tried it, and as q