# Would a vegan be more likely to be attacked by a large carnivore than a noin-vegan?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-vegan-be-more-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-large-carnivore-than-a-noin-vegan/251695>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 22, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-vegan-be-more-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-large-carnivore-than-a-noin-vegan/251695 "2004-06-22T20:17:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-vegan-be-more-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-large-carnivore-than-a-noin-vegan/251695/1 "2004-06-22T20:17:52Z")

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[Per this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4993037&postcount=17) that implies vegans are more likely to be carnivore kibble. Is there any reason this would be true? Would vegans likely have a more attractive “herbivorous prey” smell to the sensitive nose of a top carnivore, compared to an omnivorous meat eating human?

> [@](#):
>
> DrDeth  
> Location: San Jose
> 
> In general land carnivores don’t prey on other carnivores\*. They can and will drive them out of their territory, however. In the OP’s case, I’d say if the hunting was good, they’d be wary, and if either got too close they’d bluster and threaten.
> 
> \*one reason why I think that humans aren’t usually prey, and that there have been several attacks on vegans by cougars. The average human smells like a carnivore- and thus doesn’t smell like prey. (I know my vegan freinds insist that I “stink of meat” and if their noses can tell the difference, a cougar’s certainly can)

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-vegan-be-more-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-large-carnivore-than-a-noin-vegan/251695/2 "2004-06-23T05:06:17Z")

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But “land carnivores” do prey on other carnivores: coyotes eat cats and dogs.

It seems more logical to me that the reason why large carnivores don’t prey on other large carnivores (why wolves and bears and cougars don’t prey on each other), would be because they know perfectly well that the other guy has sharp teeth, too. Generally carnivores can’t risk getting wounded because of blood poisoning, loss of teeth, etc.

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**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-vegan-be-more-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-large-carnivore-than-a-noin-vegan/251695/3 "2004-06-23T05:48:04Z")

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I think he means “Hunter of Prey” rather than just generally “animal that eats meat”.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the most common predator attack with humans acting as prey involves babboons.

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-vegan-be-more-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-large-carnivore-than-a-noin-vegan/251695/4 "2004-06-23T15:48:16Z")

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…you read the thread title as “Would a vegan be more likely to be _attracted_ to a large carnivore”, and the question seems like a reasonable one to ask so you start contemplating it, and its logical follow-through implications. (Hmm, if opposites attract, then…)