By Olivia Judson/NY Times

I’ve just come back from the predator capital of Europe: Romania. The forests and mountains there are home to most of Europe’s remaining bears and lynx and wolves, oh my! (I didn’t see any of them, but I did see evidence of bears — scat, and a fresh pawprint.)

In honor of these animals, I thought I’d declare October to be Predator Appreciation Month. For although such beasts are not, these days, a problem for most of us humans, predators remain a powerful force in the lives of many of our fellow creatures.

It’s not just that they kill. They also change what their potential victims get up to. In short, they create a landscape of fear.

See link below for more:

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/where-tasty-morsels-fear-to-tread/