Jack, it ain't the rational tourists. It's the folks who come visiting and tell you how to live your life that become annoyances. Now sometimes that's great because others can see what you can't "because it's always been done that way" but many times lives are lived the way they are because it fits the local environment.

But like gnu and Kendall, if an animal in the wild attacks me -- especially when it normally would flee -- I'll assume it's rabid and take what steps are needed. That includes skunks, raccoons, and squirrels as well as larger ones.

No matter what you might assume from TV the vast, vast, vast majority of the 310,000,000 Americans (and probably neither of the Canadians) don't walk around armed anymore than Londoners do. But having had an "up close and personal" encounter with a prairie rattler (we both lived; I had to change pants) and encounters with other, slightly less personal, encounters with other wild critters, I'd rather err on the side of my own safety. That means that just like there are some bars in town I won't visit, there are some areas of the woods I'll try to avoid.

As for tourists, please come visit but use your good sense. Just because it's black-and-white doesn't mean it's a kitty-cat and just because you think it would be "cute" for your kid to ride on a live grizzly doesn't mean that either is correct. (Both of these examples are true, by the way. One was cleaned up with various chemicals and time, the other...well....)