Castaway's Journal - Day 32

I made a mistake. On what was supposed to be a short excursion, a group of dangerous nocturnal Pals attacked me, and I was injured.
Why are the Pals who live on this island so aggressive?
I can't help but feel their attacks are well beyond the ferocity necessary for self preservation.
Humans, for example, will engage in bloody war at the behest of a leader. Similarly, the Pals living here seem like they are fighting for the very island itself.
I suspect they harbor some deep, instinctual drive to protect this place.