The need for survival is not always on our doorstep. Possibly, when we are most at risk, as New Zealanders, is when we travel and how naive we are when dealing with threats, particularly from animals off shore.
Rachel Levin has written a humorous field guide, called "Look Big" to help avoid interactions with 50 wild animals. Here's a taste...
BEARS
Where are they found?
Alaska and Western Canada, Montana, Odaho and Wyoming.
Size?
Two to five times as heavy as your refrigerator.
Behaviour?
It’s awe inspiring, if terrifying, to see bears in the wild. It’s also rather jarring to watch them crawl up the carpeted stairs of a ski condo while a guy hiding in the closet films it on his phone, then posts it on YouTube. Encounters with black bears are on the rise, says Ann Bryant, director of the Lake Tahoe–based BEAR League. “Twenty years ago, we’d get five calls a day; now we get two hundred.”
What to do?
In a heavily human place, be inhospitable. Clap, stomp, pound the window, yell. It'll flee. However, if you see a black bear or grizzly in the wild, on its own turf, it’s more complicated. Be respectful, a good guest. The number-one rule, according to Dan LeGrandeur of Alberta- based Bear Scare: Stay calm (uh, okay). Don’t scream or turn your back. DO NOT RUN; it will chase you (bears can motor up to 35 mph). Give it space. Say hello, out loud, in your most soothing yoga teacher voice— “Hi, bear. I’m human. Get the hell out of here, please,” while slooowly backing away in the direction from which you came.
MOUNTAIN LION
Estimated population 30.000
You are three times more likely to be attacked if hiking solo
Denne historien er fra April - May 2019-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2019-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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