[dotancohen]

The problem may no longer exist in a few years, but children used to playing in a deemed-safe countryside might be at risk in the meantime.

[hnlmorg]

I think we are long past the era when kids would run off for miles into the countryside, unaccompanied by an adult.

Plus if it did have a taste for humans, we’d already have reports of people being attacked by now. So if there is a big cat, and that’s a big “if”, then it’s more likely the cat is at risk from farmers shooting a predictor to the farm’s livestock, than kids are at risk from the cat

[dotancohen]

  > I think we are long past the era when kids would run off for miles into the countryside, unaccompanied by an adult.

That's horrible. In my country it is still possible. Maybe not "miles" into the field, but a few hundred meters, sure.

[hnlmorg]

The different between a few hundred meters and a few miles is pretty darn significant. A literal order of magnitude in fact

[hi-v-rocknroll]

At 13, I regularly solitarily ventured about 15 miles away (5 miles as the crow flies) by bicycle.

[hnlmorg]

And how many years ago was that?

I used to venture far when I was 13. Times are different now

[hi-v-rocknroll]

I'll take a wild guess that kids in rural Kenya venture quite far when there is no other form of transportation.

[tasuki]

Children are at risk by cars, not cats...

[hi-v-rocknroll]

I believe this to be true. I remember some college or high school age people drove an old VW Beetle within an inch of my rear tire in the bike lane, honked repeated, and thought it would be funny if I fell and they ran me over.

[jamesu]

The groups far more likely at risk from being attacked by big cats roaming the countryside would be ramblers and dog walkers, especially older folk.