Escape from Dangerous Forest Animals

A forest is a great place to relax and have fun, but it may be filled with many potential dangers. One of the dangers you might encounter is a wild forest animal. Read this article to learn about how to dodge wolves, bears, snakes and much more.

Steps

Escape-from-a-Bear

  1. Make your presence known when hiking.
  2. When you first see a bear, if it does not seem to be aggressive, make as much noise as you can.
  3. Stand close together with the others in your group to present a more intimidating front. If you have children, pick them up and put them on your shoulders to appear taller.
  4. The above steps should scare the bear away, as most bears try their best to avoid people. [1]
  5. Don't be alarmed if the bear stands upright or moves closer, it is probably just trying to determine what you are and whether you pose a threat. [2]
  6. Give them room to move around you and escape. Never crowd a bear.
  7. If the bear seems to be aggressive, stop, stay calm, and back away slowly diagonally. If the bear follows you, stop and hold your ground.
  8. Don't make eye contact, as this may be perceived as a threat.
    1. When attacked: stand your ground. Don't run away as this will tempt the bear to chase you, and you won't be able to outrun a bear anyway. Don't try to climb trees, either - bears are better climbers than you are.
  9. Speak softly and reassuringly.
  10. If you are in between a mother and her cubs, move away from the cubs slowly to show that no harm is intended. All mothers are protective of their babies, so it is likely that if you seem innocent enough the attention will be diverted back to the infants.
    1. Use pepper spray.
    2. Once a bear actually makes contact, surrender. Assume a defensive position and curl into a ball and stay still. Often, after a bear thinks the threat has been removed, it will leave. If the bear leaves, stay motionless for as long as possible. It may react if you regain composure when its back is turned.
    3. Fight back if they continue to attack. Some bears have been driven away by people using their hands, rocks, and sticks to fight back. It is always important to dodge two main areas of the bear - the teeth and the claws. Therefore, you might see it as wise to make your way to the back of the bear and do your damage to the spine, which will lessen retaliation from its 'danger zones'.
    • (When standing your ground, try not to intimidate the bear, but rather, make yourself look important, like something the bear might injure itself with).

Snake

  1. Remember that most snakes are nonvenomous and practically harmless.
  2. If you see a snake, back away slowly. Change directions and walk away. If it looks like it is following you, stamp on the ground to make vibrations in the ground, which should be enough to drive them away. Do consider that snakes are extremely fast and slender, so don't try to outrun it. Your movements should be slow and not provocative for now.
  3. Do "NOT" try to capture or trap a snake. 80% of snake bites occur when someone tries to capture a snake. If you are being attacked by these creatures, get away from the head. This may seem obvious, but without venom, a snake may as well be a slug for all the damage it can do. Do not try to stomp on it either, even from behind, as they have sharp reactions and will sink their teeth into your ankle. Instead go for distracting it, which can include distancing yourself behind obstacles such as fallen logs, or even throwing things to divert its attention.
  4. When attacked: Call emergency services immediately.
  5. Wash the bite area with soap and water as soon as possible.
  6. NEVER attempt to suck or squeeze the venom out of the wound. This is strictly for the movies and will not help, and may make your situation worse than it already was.
  7. Take off jewellery - the injured area may swell quite a bit, making bracelets, rings, or watches a problem.
  8. Make sure the bite is lower than your heart to slow the flow of venom in your bloodstream.
  9. If it is a Coral Snake- a snake with black, yellow, and orange bands in that order - pull the snake off you as soon as possible. Their fangs are small, so they have to work to get a lot of venom into the wound. If you pull it off quickly, not as much venom will be inserted into your bloodstream.
  10. Try to remember what the snake looked like, and, if possible, identify the snake. This will be helpful for the hospital. There is a well-told folk tale of a young boy who got bitten by a snake and was awaiting his demise. He spent what should be his last hours drawing a detailed diagram and description of the snake, and because of his attention to detail, the hospital were able to identify the anti-venom solution needed immediately and save the boy's life. While only a story, this could apply to you.
  11. Drink lots of water as you make your way to a nearby hospital.
  12. Do not drink alcohol or use ice.

Mountain Lion

  1. Use your arms and clothing to make yourself look as big as possible, then
  2. back away slowly.
    1. When attacked: Fight back, striking the animal's eyes and mouth.

Wolf

  1. Back away slowly toward the firm ground.
  2. When attacked: Charge one member of the pack, shouting and throwing rocks and sticks.

Gorilla[3]

  1. Behave submissively.
  2. Crouch down rather than standing over them, and stay in a close group.
  3. Talk in whispers.
  4. Look at them sideways, not straight on.
  5. Remember that gorillas do not eat meat, but are also not harmless. They are wild animals, and very protective of their family and space.
  6. When attacked: Curl into a ball to protect yourself.

Bees

  1. Wear light clothing if your in a forest where a bee attack is a possibility. Dark clothing has been shown to draw bees closer.
  2. Run away without swatting at the bees.
  3. When attacked: Remove stingers by raking fingernail across stinger in a sideways motion.
  4. Do not push more venom into your bloodstream by squeezing stinger.
  5. Take cover in the nearest shelter possible. Even if a few bees follow you in, the comparative darkness will confuse them.

Fire Ants

  1. Brush ants from your body as you flee the area.
  2. When attacked: Treat bites with antihistamine; if pustules form,
  3. treat with a solution of half water, half bleach[4] or a solution of meat tenderizer and water.

Crocodiles

  1. Flee very quickly.
  2. Run in zigzags, it's extremely hard for them to turn on land.
  3. In water. Go to the nearest safe place,(such as motorboat, in a tree)
  4. If Attacked: when bit and pulled underwater-kick at its eyes or grab its throat and squeeze until it lets go and swim away and go to the nearest hospital. Death Roll-roll the same way it's rolling so it doesn't rip you in half.

Tips

  • When confronting a bear, do not climb a tree. Bears are excellent climbers and will catch you in no time.
  • If the bear is approaching you or following you slowly and Unafraid do not play dead. That bear is stalking you, when you notice this, try to seem like you're not something the bear wants to mess with. If attacked attack back with anything you can find. For the crocodile, it all depends on your strength and skill.
  • Making sharp turns (like 45-degree angle) can help when avoiding stalking bears.

Warnings

  • Many wild animals are dangerous. Unless stated otherwise, do not pick a fight with any of these. Crocodiles are man-killers, and it is very rare for you to escape from them. They kill several hundred people each year.

Related Articles

  • Survive-in-the-Woods
  • Escape-from-a-Bear
  • Fend-off-a-Mountain-Lion
  • Be-Safe-While-in-the-Wilderness

Survive-an-Encounter-with-a-Crocodile-or-Alligator

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/scarebears.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.americantrails.org/resources/wildlife/WildBearDeerEncntr.html
  3. ↑ http://www.travelust.com/rwanda/gorilla-tour.php
  4. ↑ http://www.safe2use.com/pests/fireants/fireants4.htm

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