Do You Fear Any Animals?

[Mystic]

I am very scared of snakes and many reptiles and I don't like them. I maintain respect for them as living beings, meaning I would NEVER kill them, or wear their skin or eat them or anything but I really really don't like them. I am the same with sharks and spiders. Do any other vegans have a similar issue with any animals.

[Mystic]

Oh and I am also shit-scared of eagles and big birds (not the flightless ones)

[Roxy]

I am with you on the whole snake and reptile thing. I know there's probably nothing to be afraid of, but I am afraid of those lizzards like the blue tongue lizzards and the frilly neck lizzards.

Spiders too. Ohhhh it's giving me goose bumps just thinking about them. Where I lived in QLD - we would get these MASSIVE huntsman spiders that would literally make me cry!

Although not generally afraid, I think I would be very afraid if I were in a situation with a wild animal such as a bear, cougar or something else.

[kriz]

I'm afraid of bumping into a mountain lion while hiking!!

[assilembob]

Large dogs....actually almost any dog I don't know.
I freak out.
My mom said I was bitten as a child and haven't been able to be around dogs ever since.
Guess that's why I am such a cat person

And I love snakes, spiders, and large birds. But I am scared of a lil blood hound?!?!
Man I need a psychologist...I gots issues

~Mel

[Gorilla]

i love snakes and reptiles, but i guess if i lived in a part of the world where poisonous snakes roamed free, that'd be pretty scary. the spiders we get here aren't poisonous but they give me the creeps a little bit (i never kill them intentionally though), so again poisonous ones would frighten me. i don't fear creepy-crawlies exactly but i don't like getting near them.

i suppose we're kind of lucky in the UK that there aren't many dangerous wild animals LOL

[tails4wagging]

Could'nt say I love snakes, well there not cuddly are they?.
Was terrified once of wasps but I tolerate them now. If I was driving and a wasp is in the car, then I would have to stop and get it out.

[feline01]

I hate centipedes. They make me cringe. Still wouldn't kill one though. Also hate earthworms. Ugh.

[cast_the_flames]

nematodes and flatworms! they absolutely terrify me. unfortunately, they are literally everywhere.

[Left of Centre]

Not sure I'm actually afraid of anything that I've encountered, but spiders and certain squishy bugs give me the creeps. As with others on here, I'd never kill anything simply because I didn't like it or was scared of it.
There are creatures that I've never come across that would probably terrify me in their natural habitat - wild rhino or baboons for example, but in general, I'm not 'scared' of them.

[snivelingchild]

Hate roaches. That's about it.

[John]

I'm afraid of ticks. They carry such nasty diseases. Also, whenever I'm in the woods and deers go bounding past, for a split second I think that they are large feral dogs.

[Mystic]

I HATE mosquitos and flies - this summer we have had sooooooooooooooo many flies. I wish they would stop having sex! And in Fiji, I got bitten by so many mosquitos. My boyfriend got none. And they all turned into these nasty infections.

[trudatman]

Bees.

[Vora]

SPIDERS !!!!!
I absolutely HATE spiders ! They're terrifying and disgusting me, Yuck !
And mosquitos are bothering me too (plus, when I was younger I contracted a disease (fortunately benign…) because of these f*cking bloodsuckers ! >_< )

[paradoxsund]

I don't fancy large flying insects

[Veggie4Life139]

Grasshoppers!

[gertvegan]

I don't know about fear, but a Cassowary scared the shoot out of me in Oz.

[cedarblue]

I don't know about fear, but a Cassowary scared the shoot out of me in Oz.

what on earth is that??

[eve]

The cassowary is a flightless bird, very large, with strong legs and a heavy body. Rather like an ostrich - did the cassowary chase you cedarblue?

[snaffler]

Tony Blair and The Countryside Alliance

[Poison Ivy]

The Wicked Witch - sorry, Mrs Blair - is MUCH scarier than her hubby though not as scary as the Countryside Alliance tho'!

[Geoff]

Cedar - Gert and Eve are taking the p*ss. The cassowary is a mythical beast, a cross between a canary and a dromedary.

[chakra]

Man is the most dangerous animal. It's one of these that's most likely to get you.

[feline01]

Man is the most dangerous animal. It's one of these that's most likely to get you.

Can't argue with you there, we're a dangerous lot . Scary too.

[Kiva Dancer]

Insects: bees, scorpions, millipedes, George Bush, wasps, mosquitos, ticks, fleas, chiggers.

Spiders: brown recluse, black widow, vinaigarrone (sp)

I don't mind anything unless it's poisionous or can hurt me. Then, I have real problems with it.

[Aurora]

Rats (not the pet ones)

[Billy]

Cows! I used to really like them - and up to a point still do. The point being where there isn't a barrier between them and me! I often go out for long walks in the countryside with the dogs, and every now and then the route takes us thru a field with cows, with no visible alternative. Cows don't seem to mind people so much, but it's the dogs they take exception to, particularly when they have calves (the cows, not the dogs!). We've been ''seen off'' a herd's land by some very pissed off bovine ladies a few times now and it really scared me. The worst thing is that Kiera just thinks they all want to come and play with her and pulls back towards them, whilst barking excitedly!

[Jobey]

Spiders are the only creatures I have a full on fear of. Last summer one ran on my bed while I was in it I sealed up my door with tape and slept downstairs for a week I think it was one of these SCARY PICTURE ALERT: http://www.csearle.pwp.blueyonder.co...e%20Spider.jpg Eurgh! Thankfuly our English spiders arent in the same league as those some of you must have to deal with!
I used to be really scared of dogs when I was little too, I would scream at my mum until she crossed the road if there was one on our side. Im ok with them now though unless I dont know them and they bark and run at me! Alsatians still make my heart beat extra fast when Im near them though.....wolfedogs they are

[Steph]

Jobey, do you have a cat? If not, take one in! I have an old home that is almost 100 yrs old, and very nasty unfinished basement (the upstairs is great though), but these creatures sometimes come up from the vents and once in the winter, I was on the living room floor with my cat, Dave, and looked down on my blanket, and a HUGE centipede was running on my chest. I froze, Dave immediately POUNCED on it, and killed it immediately. My cats are nature's way of keeping my home balanced (somewhat) from biting insects (are centipedes technically insects?).
On a sad note though (because I am so not afraid of field mice), my other cat Lilly, killed her first field mouse (in 7 years of living here) that came in the house 3 days ago to get warm.
Found the mouse dead in the hallway, with Lilly next to it grooming herself with pride. As it is in her genetic makeup to kill mice, I rubbed her and told her she did her "job" well.

[Geoff]

Steph - I don't like the idea of rewarding companion animals for killing wildlife on the basis that it's their instinct. (If I reverted to my instincts, there would be a lot of people in danger!)
My dog used to chase and kill lizards until I had a 'word' with him about it and will now happily cohabit with all sorts of baby animals.

[Seaside]

Yes. HOMO SAPIENS!!!!!!

I have seen a wild bobcat, and I was so enthralled with his beauty I guess he could have had me then and there if he'd been hungry enough. My very first encounter with a rattlesnake left me laughing. I was hiking with a friend, and as we came around the bend in the path we heard that sizzling noise, and as I looked up, the snake was going one way as fast as he could, and my friend was doing exactly the same thing in the opposite direction! I just stood there laughing! (Stupid, huh? ) I also specialize in caring for human aggressive dogs with bite records (I've only been bitten once myself). I even have a rather gothic customer who likes to keep tarantulas and snakes, and it doesn't bother me to care for them, since they only eat once a month and I don't have to feed them! So I guess I have yet to meet any non-human animal that frightens me.

The scariest thing that has ever happened to me was when I was walking to my gramma's house from San Francisco State University. When I was little my gramma told me never to walk through Sigmund Stern Grove (the park near her house) alone. But it's so beautiful, I decided to walk along the edge of it. I got that feeling that someone was watching me (does anyone else get that feeling?) and as I looked to the side, somebody ducked behind the bushes to avoid being seen (he wasn't fast enough, though!). Being stalked by that stranger was the scariest thing ever to happen to me (earthquakes included!). There is hardly anything an ordinary animal could do to me that would be worse than what people do to each other every day, or what that man would have done to me if I hadn't seen him in time and gotten the hell outta there as fast as I could!

[littleTigercub]

I fear anything that stings since I once had something in my mouth which fortunately did not sting me...

I also fear particularly lively dogs which jump at you which also comes from bad experiences, ie a bleeding nose...

littleTigercub

[Seaside]

That's too bad, littleTigercub. People should keep their dogs from jumping on others. They only do it because they are happy, though, so I usually overlook it. I hope you are not frightened of all dogs! I know some very sweet, old mellow dogs who would never jump on anyone!

[littleTigercub]

It`s just the young and lifely ones, I`m afraid.

I always was wary of large dogs, but there was one occasion which just did it for me: Distant relatives had a new dog, and I had to visit them to deliver something for my dad. I asked them to put the dog in the kitchen for the time of my visit and they were like: But he`s only 6 months old, etc.

I insisted but while we sat in the living room, he was making so sad noises that I asked them to let him out. And before I could even determine what the puppy looked like, I had it sitting on top of me and blood was pouring out of my nose...

No,sorry, I`m afraid that was it! I won`t ever do any harm to a dog, but I prefer them not to harm me either!

littleTigercub

[Evilfluffbunny]

I think I'm only scared of daddy long legs' - they really freak me out as they fly right into your face and sound like helicopters. I'm not keen on most bugs but as long as I don't have to touch them and they're not in my food or anything, then I don't mind them being there.

I'm more frightened of dead bugs or ones with bits missing - I have weird phobia thing about that.

[Seaside]

Posted by Evilfluffbunny:

I'm more frightened of dead bugs or ones with bits missing - I have weird phobia thing about that.

When I was really small I was convinced of the revenge of dead bugs. I was sure that if I killed any spiders their ghosts would come back to get me! I always made sure that my dad carried them out of my room instead of killing them.

[tails4wagging]

If someone kills a bug or any animal, I curse them that they will return as a slug/worm or anything else they have killed!!

[Plunder Bunnie]

Can't think of a single individual animal that scares me. I've been around animals al my life and have always respected them. Im more "uneasy" around individual animals, say a strange dog that is eye balling you but not coming close to meet you or is being very quiet. That makes me uneasy, but i wouldnt say afraid. However, i have a bizarre fear of dinosaurs.
I cant imagine looking one of these guys in the eyes....
http://umsis.miami.edu/~pvaidyan/ima...20-%20TRex.jpg

[Skajen]

Wasps!

[soyabean]

I HATE wasps. I do my best to avoid them, I don't kill them, but I still can't stand them. I know rationally that they're not really evil vicious nasty creatures - but whenever I see one, that's the 1st reaction of my subconscious.
Bees I've always found quite cute, especially fat round bumble bees - I wish they grew to the size of a cat so I could have one as a pet and it could sit in my lap while I stroke it, and buzz gently to make a noise a bit like a cat purring (prolly have to put a cork on it's sting while it was in the house though)

[maya]

I am deathly afraid of sharks. I saw one once when I was surfing. It took me weeks to recover. I do not like bugs, especially roaches. They give me the creeps. I really dont have any problems with reptiles. I had a iguana at one time. I loved that he shared my diet, fruits and veggies. Oh, also jelly fish! ug!


Maya

[ehkarnes]

I am apsolutly afraid of jelly fish. they are all that stands between me and invencibility. i had a horid experience once and now i cant even sit through finding nemo without going into another room and hyperventalating for a while. i know its sad but what can ya do.

[adam antichrist]

I have phobias of things in the sea, like seaweed! I honestly can't touch seaweed in the water, because there might be nasties in it.

In Australia we have these things called stonefish which hide in the shallows and wait for prey to swim past. They have a row of spines down their back which if you step on them inject deadly poison and you die in agony. The spines can go through shoes so I've been shitscared of them ever since I was a nipper. They don't even have them where I live, but I still freak out in seaweed!

I'm the only person I know who has a fear of seaweed, and I am a surfer

I also hate spiders webs. I like spiders, but freak if I walk into a web.

[tipsy]

Spiders are the only creatures I have a full on fear of. Last summer one ran on my bed while I was in it I sealed up my door with tape and slept downstairs for a week I think it was one of these SCARY PICTURE ALERT: http://www.csearle.pwp.blueyonder.co...e%20Spider.jpg Eurgh! Thankfuly our English spiders arent in the same league as those some of you must have to deal with!

thank you joey for the warning! i probably would have clicked on this and not been able to sleep tonight!!

i also share this extreme phobia of spiders.

and when i say extreme i mean jumping out of a moving car because there was a spider in it, extreme!

[Seaside]

I have phobias of things in the sea, like seaweed! I honestly can't touch seaweed in the water, because there might be nasties in it.

In Australia we have these things called stonefish which hide in the shallows and wait for prey to swim past. They have a row of spines down their back which if you step on them inject deadly poison and you die in agony. The spines can go through shoes so I've been shitscared of them ever since I was a nipper. They don't even have them where I live, but I still freak out in seaweed!

I'm the only person I know who has a fear of seaweed, and I am a surfer

I also hate spiders webs. I like spiders, but freak if I walk into a web.

You need my cat Pez. He craves eating spiderwebs. He likes to lick the salt off the dockside ropes, too.

That's too bad about the seaweed, though. I have seen beautiful animals living on it.

[Kiran]

I guess I hate skunks... Thank god I never came across one. Saw them on TV before, gave me all goosebumps. Quite a funny way to defend itself.

[Steph]

.
Bees I've always found quite cute, especially fat round bumble bees - I wish they grew to the size of a cat so I could have one as a pet and it could sit in my lap while I stroke it, and buzz gently to make a noise a bit like a cat purring (prolly have to put a cork on it's sting while it was in the house though)

Bumble bees are wonderful and harmless, but what we call here sweat bees, yellowjackets, they are so scary to me!! Since this is the time now in my area for these yellow jackets, I am running all over the place screaming, avoiding their stings!! I was once stung when I was a little girl in my toe, then when I was in my 20's, one stung me in my ear! Owww, the pain in my ear was incredible, and hearing the buzz right before it stung me was horribly frightening! They'll be here through September, then thankfully if I play my cards right I won't be stung again, and can breathe easier...

[Crash]

Sharks scare me the most.

[Kumem]

Horses go a little crazy around me - all scary eyed, ears back, moving around a lot. A horse once tried to bite me. Not necessarily scared of them, but I don't like the way they act around me.
I know horses can smell fear, but I'm not really scared, so I can't understand it.