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In the modern world, animals are mostly seen through the eyes of science, conservation, or affection. But go back a few hundred years, and the view was very different.
People didn’t just fear wild animals because of what they could physically do– they feared them for what they were believed to represent.
In many cultures, certain animals became part of local myths, tied to bad luck, death, or even the supernatural.
Let’s look at a few animals that still carry reputations as omens or bad signs in some parts of the world.