In Latin, “by its nature, wild”.

To be contrasted with animals mansuetae naturae, animals are, in the immortal words of Darling, J., in Manton v Brocklebank:

... those ferae naturae, e.g. tigers and lions which a man keeps at his peril.

A chap who keeps lions and tigers does so at his peril, and should they escape and cause damage to (for which, presumably, read “eat”) his neighbor the ordinary principles of Template:Casnote will apply.

In fact as I recall the escaping water in Rylands|Fletcher was actually classified, in the eyes of the law, as a wild animal. But I might be misremembering.