Isn't what Suwako saying quite illogical though? Even back in the olden time people generally tried to shoo the wild animals away rather than kill them since trying to kill them risked harm to themselves.
This is the root of most animal behavior to be honest. We generally try to shoo the threat away first before risking bringing harm to ourselves. Survival first, killing second.
It is true that small villages during the early medieval period went on occasional hunts to cull the numbers of wild predators in the vicinity. But the level that was done has often be wayyy over-exaggerated (the true extermination of predators in Europe didn't start until the 1800th century). Generally, humans avoided predators and predators avoided humans (stupid humans traveling alone in forested areas not included).
Either way, even back then, her statement doesn't make much sense, at least in Europe. Why risk putting the animal into frenzy by harming it when it was simpler and much easier to scare/shoo it away? A frenzied animal is much more likely to harm you than a hungry one. I can understand the point if the "Beasts" she is referring to are flesh seeking Youkai (isn't that close to 90% of all youkai in Zounose's stories anyhow?). But wild beasts on the other hand are a different story and would more likely be shooed out of the town rather than killed.
This is one of the many reasons I sometime have hard time getting into Zounose's stories. In his stories there are generally leaps in *fundamental* logic that make it hard to suspend one's disbelief. Either humans in his universe don't have survival instinct like we do or... well, they simply aren't the same species as we are (among other things).
Regarding the casual cannibalism often shown in his stories I have no longer any complaints about them other than "Not all youkai?" and "Human Eating Gods?!" but other than those two I don't find those parts in his stories to be something that bothers me personally. Honestly, I suspect he either enjoys riling up the fandom with the cannibal stuff or has a bit of a soft fetish for such stuff. :P
That's no good. Spiritual attacks are three times as effective on youkai, don't you know?These are just inter-species territorial matters. None of that "sin" crap.Leave such things to us!Something appeared all of a sudden!Helping people with their troubles!That is the work we do.Definitely dubious!Ah...If it were humans, a beast that came down into the village would be exterminated...You, worrying about your opponent's feelings?Even if you got wounded, what's the use in making it worse?And that's fine.These are the times we live in......I have killed many intruders in the past.The time will come for me to settle those sins. When, I don't know.This is proof that such a way of thinking is just complicating things for yourself.Momi-chan...We sensed waves of negativity and arrived by God Warp (on foot).Aah, aah...