--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a maxim among carnivore biologists…" description: "\"“It is a maxim among carnivore biologists that the main reason big predators now die is because people kill them. People run them over with speeding ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/william-stolzenburg-45139_quote_it-is-a-maxim-among-carnivore-biologists_209189.jpg" --- # It is a maxim among carnivore biologists that the main… ![“It is a maxim among carnivore biologists that the main reason big predators now die is because people kill them. People run them over with speeding cars, they shoot them, trap them, gas them, poison them, and torture them. Laws notwithstanding, they kill them out of sheer spite, then bury the…” quote by William Stolzenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/william-stolzenburg-45139_quote_it-is-a-maxim-among-carnivore-biologists_209189.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/william-stolzenburg-45139_quote_it-is-a-maxim-among-carnivore-biologists_209189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/william-stolzenburg-45139_quote_it-is-a-maxim-among-carnivore-biologists_209189.jpg) > ““It is a maxim among carnivore biologists that the main reason big predators now die is because people kill them. People run them over with speeding cars, they shoot them, trap them, gas them, poison them, and torture them. Laws notwithstanding, they kill them out of sheer spite, then bury the evidence—a practice so routine it has become a barstool commandment in certain rural cultures: Shoot, shovel, and shut up.”” [William Stolzenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stolzenburg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Big predators die mainly due to human actions like hunting, vehicle collisions, and deliberate cruelty, despite legal protections. **In simple terms:** Humans kill big predators for many reasons, often illegally. Key Takeaway Reduce human-caused predator deaths. Themes conservation human-wildlife conflict ethics Mood concerned determined Type advocacy informational When to use this quote - rural road safety - anti-poaching patrols - community education - policy reform Key Concepts wildlife management law enforcement cultural attitudes Questions to Reflect On - How can communities change long‑standing habits that harm predators? - What incentives could reduce illegal killing? A Different Perspective Legal protection alone cannot stop cultural practices that normalize killing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Predators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predators/) ## Related quotes > [And there are very few wild animals that can't run down a human being; the big predators would run down Usain Bolt without even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-backshall/and-there-are-very-few-wild-animals-that-can-t-run-down-a-human-being/) [Steve Backshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-backshall/) > [“Naysayers at their polite best chided the rewilders for romanticizing the past; at their sniping worst, for tempting a 'Jurassic Park' disaster. 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