People have always been fascinated by large carnivores - and often scared of them, not least because of their impressive size. Mammalian predators are like people in certain respects, especially the more sociable species. They often compete with us for the same food, and this can make them a threat to our livelihoods. For these reasons large carnivores in particular have often been despised over the years, although our cultures have also shown them a lot of respect, and often even attributed mythical characteristics to them.