Summer is right around the corner, and soon the air will be filled with the smell of barbecues and people enjoying the outdoors. Activities such as fishing, camping, or hiking are classic ways to enjoy the outdoors, but nature can also get in the way sometimes. I’m going to list for you some of the common animals that you could encounter while you adventure outdoors and provide you with some basic tips to protect yourself against them.
Bears
Bears are a lot easier to deal with than many people believe. The type of bears one would normally encounter on a hike (brown, black, or grizzly) generally try to avoid confrontation with people as much as possible (oddly enough, bears are the most dangerous when they become used to people), but a mother with cubs can be extremely dangerous if you get too close. The best way to defend yourself if you see a bear appear in front of you while hiking or camping is to raise your arms above your head and yell at it as loud as you can. This makes you appear larger and more threatening and most of the time, the bear will get frightened and run away. However, if the bear is aggressive, you have to ignore your basic instincts and do NOT run away. Even if the bear charges you, hold your ground. Most bear charges are bluffs. If all else fails and the bear attacks you, roll up into the fetal position and try to protect your inner organs as much as possible. If that doesn’t work, then you are going to have to fight the bear.
Large Cats
More and more these days I see news stories about cougars, mountain lions, panthers, whatever you want to call them attacking humans. As with bears, cougars become more dangerous when they become habituated to humans and it comes as no surprise that these attacks are occurring close to human populations. The strategies for survival against these animals are much the same as bears but with some differences. If you encounter a cougar in the wild, you need to make yourself threatening. You may have been indoctrinated to believe eye contact is a bad thing to do when faced with wild animals. This isn’t true with cougars. Maintain very strong eye contact and shout loudly but calmly to scare them away. However, if they decide to attack you, then they will attack you. They don’t bluff like bears do and running/playing dead will only make it worse. Your best bet is to fight back. Grab a large stick or a rock and start swinging. I have seen pictures of cougar attacks and they are not pretty, but if you keep a calm head and fight back, it is possible to come out alive.
I hope this has helped you prepare for what could happen on your many outdoor adventures to come. Now start planning that camping trip!
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