Let's say you are used to living in an urban or suburban neighborhood that doesn't have large predators. You get used to that environment. You think that's the way it must be everywhere.
Then... you either move to a more rural area, or take a vacation to a more rural area, and you assume that you can just do what you have always done. It's only a matter of time before something bad will happen.
Imagine living in Cody, WY and having to do grizzly drills at the local grade schools! Bet you never considered that kind of thing as normal. I am sure we will soon hear reports of grizzlies in the Plains states, and other reports of them well outside Wyoming and Montana. I remember when they banned cougar hunting with dogs in Washington State, and then these mountain lions were spotted near grade schools during recess. In other parts of the world, kids can't just wait at the corner by themselves for the school bus, such as in Siberia or Alaska. You don't do that kind of thing there. I'm sure similar concerns are on the minds of people in Africa, Australia, Asia, South America and other places.
In AZ, you can have predators and other dangerous animals visit your property, endangering your pets and family. We have black bear, mountain lions, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, javelina, rattlesnakes, coral snakes, and large birds of prey. People come here, let their pets in their yards without supervision, and sometimes... no more pet. I am thinking of someone I know who lives near Camelback Mountain. They have a small grave marker on their property where they buried their small white fluffy dog. I'm not sure what kind of predator got him, but there wasn't much left of him when they went calling for him and he didn't come in the house. I had a student who lived in Scottsdale, also with a small white fluffy dog. Her dog was mauled by a large predatory bird in her back yard. Fortunately, the dog survived, but it needed stitches because it was torn up badly.
Similarly, in AZ, and other places with large animals, you need to not just go along as if everything is going to be safe. Sometimes the pet is attacked. Sometimes the human is also attacked. There have been stories all over the West detailing such tragedies.
When I travel, I always consider wildlife risks. Especially since almost all my vacations are in the mountain states. I have anecdotal stories, from credible sources, of sightings of dangerous animals in all these places.
I'm sure similar stories can be told in Eastern states. I know there are bears, moose, wolves, coyotes and other animals there. And of course, in the southeastern states... big reptiles and invasive snakes.
Do you think about these things when you travel, or consider moving to a new place? I do.
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