[Judith Anne]

Missouri Ozarks. The bears have been reintroduced (from Arkansas, iirc, along with other wildlife, including wolves and panthers. Wild animals, imho, are feeders of opportunity, they'll go where they find food of any kind, and hang around. Never get between a wild animal and its food, or its young.

Someone mentioned an animal that sounds like a woman or a child screaming, that could be a panther.

Talking about vicious domesticated animals, don't forget geese! LOL! Those critters have sawtooth bills! Our gander got hold of my jeans, once, and BEAT me with his wings! Left bruises!

[mamelukesabre]

Cool!

I didn't realize there were bears in the missouri ozarks nowdays. When I was a kid, my parents had a cabin(trailer actually) that was within a stones throw from the huckleberry ridge conservation area. Ever heard of that? Its near a town called pineville(southwest corner of MO), and If I remember correctly, the cabin was on or near a road called "county-K" and sat on the top of a hill that the locals called "copperhead hill". I got bit by one of those snakes once while mowing grass there. For all I know, the place could be all suburbs by now though.