# Animals that like us **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153 "2012-05-07T12:40:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/61 "2012-05-10T12:58:13Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > You mean that brainwashing us to feed him sardines and tuna was just part of his plan to enslave humans. šŸ˜ƒ Yup, must have some domestic cat genes. Theyā€™ve been working on that plan for 9500 years. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/62 "2012-05-10T14:57:29Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Black bears and grizzly bears can get habituated to humans. This generally causes problems, for humans and bears, when it happens. They have been seen [teaching their cubs](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/05/21/MN78346.DTL) to get food from garbage and from cars. I was witness to what had the appearance of a well organized ā€œscamā€ on the part of some black bears. When I was a kid, my family camped a lot at a campground in the Great Smoky Mountains. This was before the Park Service actively discouraged human/bear interactions. One time, I was walking around when the word went out that ā€œThereā€™s a bear cub up a treeā€ in one of the campsites. Sure enough, there was. Being aware, even at that age, that where Junior was, Momma wasnā€™t far away, I kept my eyes open ALL around. I am firmly convinced I was the only person to notice Momma Bear (at rather close range :eek: ) walk behind the crowd to go raid campsites while Junior entertained the crowd. If anyone else had seen, Iā€™m sure they would have reacted, unless, like me, they kept their own counsel so as not to stir things up :rolleyes:. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/63 "2012-05-10T16:56:51Z")
> [@Chipacabra](#): > > Whenever Iā€™ve encountered a skunk, Iā€™ve found that it doesnā€™t seem to care one way or the other about my presence. Even walking up to about 5 feet away or so, the skunk will usually just keep on snuffling about its business. Iā€™m not about to test just how close I can get, though! Yup. I used to live in Flagstaff, AZ. As far as I know, there werenā€™t really any raccoons there; skunks and crows filled the ecological niche reserved for things that fought loudly while digging through your garbage can. Neither species were especially wary of humans. They werenā€™t friendly, but if they were on the sidewalk when you came walking up, they felt no particular need to move. The skunks especially were of the opinion that they had been there a lot longer than you, and it was _their_ sidewalk you were on, thankyouverymuch. A lot of the freshmen students at NAU were from Phoenix, where the suburban pests were rabbits, roadrunners and quail, and had no idea how far skunks could spray. The squirrels on Boston Common are the exact opposite of afraid of humans. You can just hand them crackers or french fries, if you are so inclined. If Iā€™m eating lunch in the park, inevitably one of them will clamber right up on the bench and eyeball me from about six inches away, waiting impatiently for his tithe. The ducks and swans in the Public Garden next door are much the same, and the geese are even more forward. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/64 "2012-05-10T21:19:05Z")
> [@mutantmoose](#): > > I think Canada Geese are a good example of what the OP is thinking of. A completely wild animal that you can just walk right up to. Iā€™ve walked through a big flock of them pecking at the ground and stood in the middle and they took no notice of me at all, just carried on pecking. Well if you were pecking at the ground they probably mistook you for one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/65 "2012-05-11T01:40:08Z")
Oh, man, how could I forget the ducks. When theyā€™re passing through, they just donā€™t care about people most of the time, and actively beg for food the rest of the time. I have literally tripped over a wild duck while walking around on campus without looking down. If I didnā€™t know that these ducks were basically living off of the leavings of teenagers, Iā€™d be inclined to just pick one up for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![mdtljt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@mdtljt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdtljt)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/66 "2012-05-15T03:13:42Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Bedbugs _love_ us. > > Some animals appear to be friendly and tolerant of humans (Iā€™m thinking of the European Robin in particular), but in fact theyā€™re aggressively asserting their territory. it asked about animals that wouldnā€™t run from us or want to eat us as far as i am concerned, bed bugs, biting us to suck our blood is eating us lady bugs land on us and donā€™t bite, scratch, or in any other way bother us so there is the first one i have seen that fits the bill flies, grasshoppers, rolly pollys, all will avoid us or try to get away if we catch them, but lady bugs just sit back and relax ---
**Author:** ![mdtljt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@mdtljt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdtljt)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/67 "2012-05-15T03:14:43Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Well if you were pecking at the ground they probably mistook you for one of them. canada geese will attack you at times too ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/68 "2012-05-15T03:39:27Z")
Skunks are a good example of a wild animal which doesnā€™t need to be habituated to seeing humans as a food source to be easy to get close to, because of their natural behaviors. They are not friendly, they are simply well aware that they arenā€™t in danger. Nothing commonly eats skunks except owls, and I doubt the skunks see them coming. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153/69 "2012-05-15T12:05:21Z")
> [@mdtljt](#): > > it asked about animals that wouldnā€™t run from us or want to eat us > as far as i am concerned, bed bugs, biting us to suck our blood is eating us Hmmm, what about sweat bees? They drink our sweat for salt, would that count as eating us? Where do we draw the line? Iā€™m not sure myself. But Iā€™d agree with you that bedbugs count as wanting to eat us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-like-us/621153.md?page=3)