Animal Attacks
Des Conway has over 20 years' experience in police and commercial security. He uses his additional research and commercial security experience to ensure his own and his family's safety while planning and taking holiday and business trips. Through this and his other security handbooks he is committed to helping people keep themselves and their loved ones safe, wherever they are.
Animal Attacks
Though I called this section Animal Attacks, I am also going to include the threat of insect and fish attacks, because they broadly pose the same sort of threat and the countermeasures are similar.
You will find a wide variety of animals wherever you go. Almost all of them could be a threat to you.
Bite
A bite can range from a hypodermic-like single puncture that leaves no mark to something more serious, where teeth penetrate the skin and leave an infected wound. A bite can range from a budgie that nips your finger, to a lion or great white shark that has taken an arm or a leg as a snack.
Scratch
A scratch has a similar range of severity, from a barely discernible mark where a hamster scratched your hand, to the raking and life-threatening gash of a grizzly bear’s claws.
Gore
Because by definition ‘gore’ means to penetrate the body, gore wounds tend to be serious. Apart from the strength and violence necessary to inflict the wound and cause major damage to flesh, muscle and internal organs, the risk of secondary infection is huge. If you say ‘gore’ to most people they immediately think of bullfighting in Spain, but on a bad day. if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time anything with horns could gore you – a sheep, a goat or even a reindeer.
Kick/Trample
Many animals use kicks as a defence, or some simply kick out while running. like a horse galloping round a meadow. Different species of animal kick, but while most of them have some sort of hoof, not all of them do. An extension or alternative to kicking is to trample. That is to deliberately knock over a victim and then jump and stamp on them. Horses, cows, deer, moose, elephants and goats have been known to kick and trample human victims
Crush
A few animals use their bulk to crush a human victim. Crush injuries may be accidental or deliberate. Whatever the cause, large animals are a threat, because they can and have crushed humans to death.
Sting
To most people, stings are inconsequential though sometimes painful and annoying. The threat of stings is usually considered to come from bees, scorpions and other insects, but box jellyfish sting too and they have fatal consequences. Any number of small sea creatures can cause you harm, for example blue-ring octopus, coueshell and stonefish. A sting can result in an itching annoyance, a painful swelling or a quick and agonising death.
Poison
Many creatures use poison as a defence mechanism. Some like snakes bite to inject their venom, others spray or squirt it, while some have poisonous skin glands. Some of the most toxic and most potent substances known are found in animal venom. The poisons vary in strength and effect. Some are deterrents that are designed to make a creature taste bad so it won’t be eaten by a predator. At the other end of the scale are nerve toxins that can kill an adult man in seconds.
Experts tell me that animals do not attack because they are malicious. They attack because they are:
- Hunting for food
- In pain
- Defending themselves
- Protecting young or a nest
- Seeking a mate
- Startled.
Whatever the reason for an attack, the results can be devastating. If not fatal, a victim could easily be crippled, disabled or blinded. Even a simple bite could infect you with potentially fatal diseases such as rabies.
Animal attack – countermeasures
Though some people are used to being around or working with animals and are able to read their moods, many people never come closer to an animal than walking past a cat or stray dog. To these city dwellers an animal is an alien creature, and they have no idea how to deal with it. I have therefore targeted these countermeasures at people who are devoid of animal experience.
Avoid any animal that you don’t know. Given the right circumstances any animal can and will attack. Though the consequences of being nibbled by an irate hamster and being mauled by an angry lion are totally different, both attacks resulted because the animal was provoked in some way.
Be aware that animals have a variety of ways of attacking. For instance, small dogs snap, camels and horses bite, and llamas kick and spit. An elephant could toss you around using its trunk and then trample you, goats often nibble, and even a little old beach donkey can kick or chew your hand if it takes exception to you.
Respect any animals you come across. Don’t be fooled by cute and fuzzy cartoon looks or behaviour. An angry kangaroo could disembowel you with one kick. A disgruntled swan could break your leg. Even a cute chimpanzee has phenomenal strength – an adult chimp could easily rip a man’s arm off.
Don’t be fooled by other people. The man in the bazaar may be handling the snake, but it doesn’t mean that it will let you touch it. The trainer might be able to take liberties with the lame’ wolf, but you shouldn’t copy him. Some animals have been conditioned to tolerate humans. They may participate in games and tricks, but inside they are a free spirit with their own drives and nature. In other words, they are still wild animals with the potential to revert to natural behaviour, operating on instinct.
Take notice of signs and warnings when dealing with animals. The sign at the zoo saying don’t feed the animals is not just there for the dietary needs of the animals. If there is a fence and strong bars between you and the animal, they are there to protect you from that animal. Don’t go too close or reach through the bars to stroke the furry-looking bear or sleepy lion. People have tried and lost arms or died doing it.
Research what animals, insects, snakes, bats, etc. that you are likely to come across. At the same time learn how to cope with them. In the case of the mosquito, a simple spray-on deterrent may work during the day but a mosquito net is usually recommended to protect you while you sleep. For anything bigger, if you aren’t sure just stay clear – even that cute puppy could have rabies
Always seek out and take the advice of tour reps and hotel and resort staff when you are abroad. They can tell you if there is an infestation of fire ants, and tell you what a fire ant looks like so you know what to avoid. Local people can tell you how to avoid the places where snakes like to hide, or where vampire bats look for food each night.
In any country where there are animals that can and have killed people, never go into the wilderness or forest without seeking advice, and being properly equipped. We all know about mountain lions in America, and your average big hairy lion in Africa, but there are other less obvious threats. An unhappy moose can easily kill you if you get close enough to give it a chance.
If you are actually on holiday to see animals, take extra care. Listen to what your guide says, and do everything that they tell you to do.
If you unexpectedly find yourself around animals, they are probably more scared than you are. Animals usually move away when there are humans around. An animal that is busy feeding or was perhaps sleeping might not hear you come along the trail so you could surprise it. When they are surprised by the sudden appearance of a threat (even if that threat is just you and your new digital camera), animals’ immediate and instinctive defence can be to attack. When you are walking and approaching any animal, or walking where there may be animals, make a noise Whistle, sing, talk, rattle cans, anything that will make a noise! The noise will alert the animals to your presence and approach. When they know that you are coming they have time to prepare for your arrival by watching you or moving off.
Never ever try to stroke, pat, pull, push or otherwise handle an animal that you do not know, especially when it is a species that you are unfamiliar with. The scorpion may look interesting, but pick it up for a closer look at your peril. That bug may look like a fly but it could be a wasp that could incapacitate you for days. Those pretty-looking things in the seawater may be stinging anemones, and that floating string could be jellyfish tentacles. If you don’t know what it is, at least ask, but for safety leave it alone.
If you are bitten, stung or scratched, DON’T try to pick up whatever did it. It will bite sting or scratch you again! Take a close look at it, get members of your party to look at it from a safe distance and even use your mobile phone to take a photograph if you can. Then seek medical help and advice as soon as possible. The bite could be harmless – the equivalent of a British wasp sting – or it could be much worse.
DON’T get excited or run around. That will circulate a toxin more quickly.
DON’T cut the bite open, even if they do that in the movies.
DON’T try to suck the poison out either. The person sucking is at risk of exposure to any toxin and the victim is subject to infection from the open wound.
Best of all, avoid animals, insects, snakes, fish or anything that could bite, sting, scratch or otherwise injure you.
Dangerous Plants
In the UK we have some plants that can sting or contain an irritant that can cause blisters, such as stinging nettles. Various berries, fruits and fungus can be poisonous, but we either know them or simply don’t go around trying to eat them. In the UK people don’t expect to have to be able to forage for food.
We know that around the world there are stinging plants and those with poisonous sap or fruit, but we haven’t grown up with them so we don’t exactly know what they are. Any American child can identify and avoid poison oak, which produces a very irritating rash, but could you identify and avoid it?
Some plants and fruit are more toxic than you can imagine, but we have no idea what they are. If a plant has huge spikes and thorns we can see them and know that we should avoid them, hut there is no general rule we can follow to avoid poisonous plants or fruit. We only know what to avoid it somebody tells us!
If you were taking a walk in the English countryside, and saw a man about to grasp a handful of stinging nettles, would you call out and stop him? Would you ‘interfere’, or assume he knows what he is doing, or even ignore him?
Now reverse the situation – you are that person. When I was in Barbados, it looked like it was coming on to rain so I sheltered under a big old tree. 1 stood and watched the black clouds getting closer, when a passing man changed direction to walk up to me. 1 didn’t hear him when he first spoke, so I said. ‘Sorry what did you say?’ He paused then said. ‘That’s a manchmeel tree/1 couldn’t understand why he had gone out of his way to give me a botany lesson. but 1 guessed what he was saying was significant in some way
I thanked him for the information and asked him why he’d gone out of his way to tell me what the tree was. 1 was glad I did. He explained that the manchineel tree was quite poisonous. The leaves, the bark and the sap were so toxic that rain water running down over the leaves picked up so much toxin that if it dripped onto exposed human skin it hurt and quickly caused a large blister to form.
He said he almost didn’t repeat what he had said, because he didn’t want to interfere or get any abuse or hassle from a stranger. It started to rain, but he was so interesting and the rain was so warm that we just walked along the beach as we talked. I thanked him several more times before we parted.
Dangerous plants – countermeasures
Tourist hotels and resorts are designed to be safe, and the developers and management tend not to plant dangerous trees or plants in areas where tourists could come to harm. Unfortunately, when we travel most people like to explore a little, to drive around, ride horses, walk and otherwise see a little of the countryside. There are a few things that you can do to make sure you stay safe.
On arrival, ask about dangerous plants, poison sap, stinging plants, etc., and ask where you are likely to find them
If possible, find out what the plants look like, then if you are unsure you can avoid all plants that look anything like them!
If you are planning to explore, check to see if there are any dangers in that area. If there are, go with an organised group so that a guide can steer you away from those dangers.
Consider taking a thick plastic bag so that if you are stung you can carefully collect and carry a sample to show the doctor what caused the irritation.
Seek medical help as soon as you can.
If you are stung by a plant or sap, avoid scratching. In most cases scratching only makes things worse and also breaks the skin, allowing secondary infection to take a hold.
Souvenirs
When I am on holiday I am on holiday for me. I am not on an expedition to collect gifts for friends and relatives at home, so nobody expects me to bring back gifts and souvenirs.
Souvenirs and gifts are usually a waste of money. You buy something silly, cute or exotic for somebody, carry it halfway around the world, present it to them and they put it in the loft or more often than not in the next charity jumble sale.
Bringing back some gifts and souvenirs could very easily mean you are breaking the law.
CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Its website, www.cites.org, describes CITES as follows: ‘CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between Governments, which attempts to make sure that the collection and sale of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.’
In the 1960s, when CITES was first discussed, conservation and international treaty and regulation on wildlife was relatively new. Today the annual global wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of pounds and includes hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade covers everything from live animals and plants to a range of products derived from them, including foodstuffs, leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines. The extent of exploitation of some animals and plants is bringing them close to extinction.
Regulation of trade is difficult because by its nature the trade passes across borders, from one nation and its laws, to the territory of a different nation with different laws and law-enforcement bodies. CITES was conceived in a spirit of co-operation and now offers protection to more than 33,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs.
CITES is an international agreement and members have to implement the convention which provides a framework to be respected by each country. Each country then has to adopt its own domestic legislation to make sure that CITES is implemented at the national level.
No species protected by CITES has become extinct as a result of trade since the convention came into force.
Though the CITES regulations are supported by law in 164 countries, this doesn’t stop criminals from trying to trade in endangered species. So tourists must be aware that many souvenirs are actually made from endangered wildlife, and that buying, exporting them from their home country and importing them when you get back to the UK is illegal.
If you do try to import some of these expensive and questionable gifts and souvenirs, you risk the item being confiscated and you being charged with illegal importation. It is difficult to know what is just a tacky souvenir made from the remains of an endangered species, or just a tacky souvenir made from chicken feathers and an old shoe. When you consider that about 5,000 species of animals and 28.000 species of plants are protected by CITES, you cannot be expected to know what is and what is not protected.
The simple general rule is that you should avoid buying, selling, importing or exporting anything made from:
- Sea turtles
- African or Asian ivory
- Fur from spotted cats
- Fur from marine mammals
- Feathers and feather products from wild birds
- Any live or stuffed birds from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela and some Caribbean countries
- Most crocodile and caiman leather
- Most coral, whether in chunks or in jewellery.
The list changes, but it would take an expert in some cases to decide if a product was made from leather or the skin of some exotic and rare crocodile. The simple answer is DON’T BUY ANIMAL PRODUCTS. Avoid anything that is, appears to be or could be made from animal horn, skin, bone, feathers, fur or other living material. If we don’t buy them, the local people won’t be able to sell them, so will leave the animals and plants in the wild where they belong.
Buying Antiques. Though in my experience most ‘genuine’ antiques on sale to tourists were made in a local workshop less than a week before, there are real antiques available for purchase. However, most countries are very protective of their archaeological and historic treasures, which means tourists have been arrested for purchasing and attempting to export them.
Countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Mexico are particularly keen to prevent the illegal sale and export of what they consider to be national treasures. Chances are that what the shopkeeper is trying to sell you was made by his cousin in the back of the shop, but play safe. Either avoid anything ancient, or seek advice from the local authorities about its age and value and your right to take it home.
