How to survive animal attacks

The probability of getting attacked by an animal varies greatly depending on where you are in the world, but there is always a danger of it happening, and knowing what to do can save your life. Here are the most common types of animal attacks and what to do if you find yourself in such a situation, but first, here are some general tips on how to survive animal attacks from most land mammals that might attack you.

(Victims of animal attacks: left was a polar bear, the middle was a shark and the right was a mountain cat)

When you are in danger of being attacked by a wild animal:

• Make very slow and deliberate movements, if you move quickly or run, you may be perceived as dangerous or prey and trigger an attack response.

• Don’t try and hide as this will be useless. Any animal that would attack you will be able to smell or hear you trapped in your hiding place.

• Don’t approach the animal and instead move away from it very slowly.

• Pick up any small children or pets, as their size will likely make the attacking animal think they are easy prey.

• If possible, move upwind from the animal so it can smell you.

• This will let them know you are not their normal prey and they may be less likely to attack.

• If you spot any young wild animals then stay as far away from them as you can.

• The mother will be nearby and the chances of them attacking will be greatly increased if they think their young are in danger.

• Never turn your back, take your eyes off it, or crouch down. Various types of mountain cats like cougars prefer to attack from behind and go straight for the neck, so showing your back is a bad idea.

• crouching down can be seen as an aggressive stance as many animals do this before they jump or sprint.

• Try and scare it off if possible because animals like a target they know they can beat, so make yourself as big and loud as possible and show it you aren’t an easy target. Shout, pick up a stick or some kind of weapon, and wave your arms.

It’s nice to have a list of things that can work on most animals you may be attacked by, but there are specific tactics that should be used against certain animals. Here are the most common animals people are attacked by and what you should do.

Sharks

Don’t panic and splash around because this will tell them you are prey, and don’t turn your back and try to swim away quickly, as this will give them the same message.

Make yourself vertical in the water because this will confuse the shark and they won’t recognize you as their normal prey.

If one comes very close, try to guide it away by putting your hand on top of its nose and pushing it to the side.

If one does attack you, dig your fingers into their eyes and gills, as these will be the only places you’ll be able to cause damage without a weapon.

Try to avoid attracting them in the first place by making sure there’s no blood or human urine in the water around you, which can be something as small as a scratch.

Lions

Make yourself look as big as possible and constantly shout at it, preferably in German so it’s scarier, and let it know you aren’t its regular prey. If it doesn’t see you as its normal prey and gets confused, it’s more likely to leave you alone.

Never break eye contact with a lion that’s about to attack you, the second you look away it will take the opportunity to attack.

If you do get attacked, the only option is to fight as hard as you can with anything at hand and try to stay on your feet as the second you hit the ground it’s all over.

Snakes

The problem with snake attacks is most of the time you don’t know they’ve happened until you’ve already been bitten. The best option is to avoid this in the first place and wear protective clothing when in snake territory. This is normally only necessary around the lower legs as this is the target for over 99% of all snake bites.

If a snake is in attack mode and ready to strike, slowly walk away from it but don’t turn your back or take your eyes off it until you are a safe distance away.

If the snake is 5 or more meters away, it would be safe to start running if necessary as most snakes aren’t very fast. A Python can only move around 1 mph, and an anaconda can only reach about 5 mph, but there are a few exceptions to this rule. The black Mumba can move up to 12 mph, and the fastest snake on earth is the sidewinder which can reach up to 18mph on open ground, though the chances of meeting a snake that can move faster than you can run is very small.

If someone does get bitten then don’t try to suck the poison out. This will not only fail to remove the poison but will allow extra bacteria to enter the wound and leave someone with venom in their mouth. Instead, wash the wound with soapy water and tie a tourniquet above it until professional medical help can be found.

Bears

Don’t run or make any sudden movements, slowly back away, and don’t do anything aggressive.

If the bear comes too close or looks like it’s going to attack, that’s when it’s time to make yourself look as big as possible and start shouting.

Don’t climb a tree to get away as bears are excellent climbers, or they may just sit there waiting for you to come down again.

If you do get in a fight with a black bear, then give it hell and punch it right in its stupid bear face. Use any kind of weapon you can and shout all the while you’re fighting. Black bears aren’t aggressive by nature and are likely to run after getting hurt.

If you get in a fight with a grizzly bear, then the best option is to play dead, though this is very dangerous. Grizzlies are bigger and more aggressive than black bears, and if you try and fight it and manage to cause damage, you’re just going to make it angrier and more aggressive, so unless you can actually kill it, playing dead is the only option. If you have to do this, lay on your stomach and put your hands on the back of your neck, but the risk here is even if it loses interest in attacking you, it may walk on you with its half-a-ton body.

As with all animals that can attack you, avoiding the attack in the first place is the best option, and the most effective way to do this is to be careful with your food when in bear territory. Hang all your food up a tree and away from your camp, and don’t sleep in any clothes you have cooked in as bears have incredible senses of smell.

Kangaroos

Not a likely one for the list but they do frequently attack people unless you’re sick. Apparently coughing can scare away kangaroos because they are naturally fearful of illness and recognize coughing.

Back away slowly and make yourself look small, this will tell the kangaroos you aren’t a threat and they will be less likely to attack.

Loudly shout “Crikey” and throw a bottle of Coopers at them (sorry)

When they attack it’s usually during a jump, and they will often flying kick you. If you have to receive a kick then turn sideways and protect your ribs with your arms.

Kangaroos also punch and scratch, so if you find yourself in a fight with a roo, keep backing away while defending yourself with punches. If you hurt it slightly while backing away it will perceive the fight as being over and the threat of continuing as being too risky and probably bounce away.

Bulls

If you need to pass through a field containing both bulls and cows, then don’t. Bulls are territorial and become more aggressive when around females.

Bulls are actually color-blind and react to movement and not the classic belief of becoming angry when they see red.

Don’t go near them as they get angry when people approach their personal space, anything within 6 or 7 meters is dangerous.

If one charges at you then the chance of outrunning it is pretty slim, so try to confuse it when it gets close and make it think you’re going to move in one direction and dodge the other way at the last moment. This will only give you a few seconds of running to safety before another dodge but it’s better than trying to fight one.

Crocodiles and alligators

The deeper the water, the more dangerous they are. Get onto dry land as fast as possible when you see one, even if you can’t escape it, it’s better to fight it on land than in water.

If one does charge at you on dry land, run away from it diagonally as they can charge forward quite fast but are bad at turning quickly.

If one does get hold of you then immediately go for the eyes as these are the easiest to damage. It’s important to hurt it enough and make it let go before it starts to roll.

When in water in their territory, always check behind you on a regular basis as they like to stalk their victim before striking, but remain as hidden as possible with usually only their eyes above water.

If you need to swim away from one, do so as smoothly as possible and avoid splashing as this will suggest you are trying to get away and make the animal think it needs to attack.

Bees, hornets, and wasps

Dark colors attract bees and increase the chances of them attacking if you get near a hive.

Swatting one can release a signal to the others that danger is near, and often cause them to attack.

Stay away from any hives or colonies because all stinging hive creatures are fiercely protective of their queens and the closer you get, the higher the chance of attack.

If you start to get stung then just run. A swarm will be impossible to fight and trying to do so will only give them time to call for reinforcements.

Don’t jump in the water and try to hold your breath until they leave as they do in the movies, because this won’t work. They won’t try to follow you into the water, but they will sit there in a cloud above it for longer than you can hold your breath.

Gorillas

These are proud and dominant creatures who will attack anything they see as a threat or a challenge. Don’t make yourself look bigger and never look them in the eyes as this is seen as challenging.

Sit down, make yourself look as small as possible, and stare at the floor. Because of how proud these creatures are, if they see you as weak and defenseless they will likely leave you alone.

Jellyfish

Many species of jellyfish can be difficult to see, and can easily sting an unsuspecting swimmer. If stung, wash the wound with salt water and not fresh water as this will make it hurt more.

Urinating on a jellyfish sting does nothing and is simply a myth. The venom is already in the bloodstream and adding urine to the outside of the wound won’t actually help in any way.