With no particular continents in mind, but with plans for future trips to Siberia and then Africa (or the other way round....), I find myself wondering about this.

Whenever I go on a trip, long or short, the first couple of nights in the tent are nver restful: I am so aware of all the noises and sensations in the wilds around me that i cannot switch off. This abates with time, and I then relax and I sleep fine as the trip continues.

HOwever, I am not sure that I will find it as easy to switch off when camping in Siberia where bears out-populate humans and are not put off, unlike mosquitoes, by a "no-see-em" mesh.

Then there is sub-saharan Africa that I long to see. Of course, the list of animals capable and willing to eat a tourist is somewhat longer.
Yes, I am being a bit flippant in my approach but it is a serious question: I have got common sense, but I do not have loads of bush know-how.

So, what are the tips for staying intact and undigested?

How best to avoid attracting the attention of the local fauna and how best to address it if they do take an interest?

So far, I am thinking some sort of highly unpleasant spray (by that I mean an artifical chemically smell, rather than a stink that may even attracat animals) and perhaps an air-horn as used during football matches...

What else?

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On Ultimate Survivor he recommended that you pee at intervals in a circle around your tent about fifty ft away, must be male pee not female. This lets any interested animals know that you have claimed this territory, but they might be a bit pissed off if they were there first. Apparently this is what some African bush men do around there camp to deter wild animals.
Cheers
Ian

I don't know about bears but this is what I've experienced camping in sub Saharan Africa.

Watch where you camp, avoid obvious Game trails.

Most things will leave you alone once you are zipped in your tent, but don't leave it unzipped how ever hot it is.

Once it gets dark most predators have an enormous advantage over you, stay in the camp firelight, even for a wee, well as per that last post you'll want it near the campsite.

Don't keep your food in your tent if you can help it.

Size matters a lot to things like Hyenas, if you cook standing up they are less likely to come and snatch your food, sounds stupid but true.

Don't put your hands where you can't see them (hollow trees, rocky crevices etc).

Carrying a compression bandage is worth it in case of snakebites.

Give Elephants time and space, sounds obvious but I nearly came to grief having thought they had all crossed the trail, but missed a baby one hidden by the long grass - Mum wasn't happy at all.

Don't get put off by any scare stories, it's fantastic not being top of the food chain if you respect the rules.
Have Fun.
Toby

In general, the fear of bears is a bit overdone. Yes, you should use common sense and follow the rules for camping in bear country (ie. no food or other items that might attract a bear in your tent, throw those items, including your pots and pans that you cook with, into a bag and run it up a distant tree, etc. . However, in reality you are not in their food chain, the vast majority of bear attacks occur when a person startles a bear, or encounters a mother bear in the wood with her cub. If you are going to be tramping around in the woods, then additional preventative things like bear bells, etc. all help to let the bear know well in advance of your arrival. If they know you are there, they will avoid you.

After the basics of prevention, then out of curiosity you should be aware of what to do in an attack. ie. getting away if possible, bear spray as the first line of defense and that doesn't work you should be aware of the differences between a black and a brown because that would determine whether you should fight or play dead.

If you follow a few general rules, the odds of you getting attacked by a bear are about one in a million. It is way more dangerous to ride your bike in any big city. Keep in mind the woods in many places are swarming with hikers, bikers, and tourists in general and most of the tourists have a lot less travel awareness than you, and somehow these people manage to survive. Mainly because the bears aren't interested in them in the least.

Tom,
"the odds of you getting attacked by a bear are about one in a million. It is way more dangerous to ride your bike in any big city."

But what are the odds for a bear riding a motorbike in a city?

Travel with someone you hate and is stupid enough to get out of the tent when you say "whats that noise?"

*gasp* That's it! That's the bear that was following me last week! I was able to finally shake it in downtown traffic, but it had me worried as it followed me for a good twenty minutes. It was probably my own fault, though, as I had my picnic basket strapped to the back of my bike.

When you'll be in a game area you will know how to act.

Salties in Australia and grizzlies in North Canada are the only species recommended to attack unprovoked.

During daylight you can even walk through an East African game park though it's populated like a zoo. The games will show you the proper distance to keep by lifting their heads but lyons. So, keep 50m distance to any bush. Most accidents happens with buffalos, as they do not give proper warning. In late afternoon walking around is not as appropriate as pretators are hunting.

Snakes are not a problem and you rarely will see one. But in late afternoon they wind up in trees to catch sleep, so they can't flee, and being in the underwood then you easily can unhook one accidentally.

Watch your hands, check your boots before entering, dont camp close to any track or salty billabong, keep no food in your tent, don't walk off roads at night, and if a grizzly shows up play dead ;-)

"The ranger isn't scared of wild lions at all saying they don't see humans as food. He's scared of lions who have been in contact with humans in the past as they don't respect humans."
How do you know which are which? Do you have to ask them?

Isn't it hippos that kill more people than anything else?

Hmm, not sure about that, this guy takes everything:

(Pic not taken in NP)

A few days before I got to QE NP a guy was eaten by a lion. He went out of the car to film some other lions. His family watched it from the car…

I totally agree that most animals (except crocs) in Africa don’t normally eat people but a lot of the animals in the NPs have changed their normal behavior and it’s much harder to understand them. In Botzwana I have tracked lions by foot (without weapons), I would never have done it in a regular NP.

The problem with hippos are that you provoke them without realizing it, beside mosquitoes they kill most people in Africa.
Be careful when you are beside rivers and always look for sign after hippos. Don’t stay between the hippos and the river.
In my experience hippos (like other animals) don’t care about tents, but other people say this is not true. So I guess you should be careful when camping by the river.


The elephant are okay, as long as you don’t stress them.


If you travel alone you have to run faster then the lion, if you travel with a group you only have to run faster then one of your friends.

This might help -

Attached Images

 

Having not been to sub-saharan africa yet I've always wondered is everyone riding through the place camps out amongst the wildlife. Or is it more a matter of luck if you even see any as it is in most places? Especially as doing a few months trip is not the same as a weekend trail ride. Typically don't end up in the real middle of nowhere places on a big trip.

Personally I'm not too keen on camping out with packs of lions around. The Mrs showed me a lot of concern about the hyena's as she's the one that always gets out 4-5 time/ night. On the other hand, the adventure aspect of it is hard to ignore.

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If you don't want to get out of the tent, take a plastic bottle with you. For the Women, you can cut a piece of the top so that you get something that works pretty much as what you get in a hospital.

In Africa's game parks, you're driving between the wildlife all the time, but as far as I know, most are closed for motorcycles. In northern Botswana and Namibia there are pretty good chances of running into elephant after the next corner. For the rest I haven't run into big animals on the road between Morocco and Namibia.

I guess traffic ought still to be more of a concern then animal life. Except maybe malaria carrying musquitos. They can be dangerous.

When you'll be in a game area you will know how to act.


Originally posted by Xanthos:

"Salties in Australia and grizzlies in North Canada are the only species recommended to attack unprovoked." - lots of predators will attack if they see you as prey or you upset/corner them etc

"During daylight you can even walk through an East African game park though it's populated like a zoo. The games will show you the proper distance to keep by lifting their heads but lyons. So, keep 50m distance to any bush. Most accidents happens with buffalos, as they do not give proper warning. In late afternoon walking around is not as appropriate as pretators are hunting." - utter nonsense! Walking in any wild life area unless experienced and armed is tkaing your life in your hands. Game/predators do no necassarily give any warning of attack! And thats if you see them, remember that physically humans are one of the weakest species out there and almost certainly the slowest!!

Quote:
""The ranger isn't scared of wild lions at all saying they don't see humans as food. He's scared of lions who have been in contact with humans in the past as they don't respect humans." - what tosh, wild lions see any animal as prey, even Elephant. The contact with humans depends on the type of contact.

Give all animals wild or otherwise the respect they deserve, any large animal or predator should be given a very wide berth.

My opinion from experience of living in Africa for several years, and from friends and acquaintances who live and work with animals and or wildlife - common sense also.

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ChrisC

I think you mean polar bears (the fluffy white ones). They are mean, bad ass, animals and on occasion, an especially hungry or crazy one, has been known to stalk a lone hunter for quite some time or distance. The locals in the far north have a lot of respect for these bears, carrying a gun is good idea.

But that's pretty far north and only on certain areas. You'll most likely see black bears (just head to the nearest garbage dump), and you'd be lucky to see a grizzly.