# Manner of Death for Animals in the Wild **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402 "2012-01-04T18:21:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402/21 "2012-01-09T19:58:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Yes.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JF6q67NQk4) > > I don’t think it’s particularly rare. > > For whatever reason, as far as I know predators will rarely attack humans in a vehicle. While I can’t speak from personal experience, I would guess that film crews mostly likely have a firearms available for emergencies. Because predators don’t have can openers big enough to get into a car, silly. Nobody’s mentioned the sorts of things we vaccinate our pets against: rabies, parvo, distemper and other viruses. I don’t know what percentage of what types of mammals succumb to these, but it’s not uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402/22 "2012-01-09T20:59:36Z")
Saw a movie of a safari where the truck/bus stopped, and a large cat climbed upon the hood - the highest lookout for miles.The next year she brought her daughter to the observation point - ignoring the humans in the open vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402/23 "2012-01-09T23:59:17Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > With advanced age, moose will also wear their molars down enough to stop being able to eat, leading to death by starvation in a predator-free environment. Same for horses and other equines - their teeth wear down to the point of uselessness, if they aren’t lost entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402/24 "2012-01-10T00:11:47Z")
Off the top of my head, I know of two species that die young from starvation: the cheetah, and North American black bear. Both depend heavily on their mother for more than one season of childhood. She keeps trying to teach them what to do for a period of a few years. Then she just abandons them to breed again. There are probably other examples. But those two are the ones that are often on nature programs, sitting around, with a “WTF mom? Where’d you go? And where’s dinner” look to them. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402/25 "2012-01-10T00:32:43Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Wikipedia has an interesting [article about the poem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Memoriam_A.H.H.) including the famous “red in tooth and claw” line. [QUOTE=Wiki] The most frequently quoted lines in the poem are perhaps ``` I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. ``` [/QUOTE] That’s from the same poem? :eek: Wow, there’s some trivia for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manner-of-death-for-animals-in-the-wild/608402.md?page=1)