[Tinkerbell]

I wonder how you come to terms with living in an environment with dangerous animals, reptiles etc. on your doorstep. Tigers, bears, snakes etc. are fairly commonplace in some parts of the World; do they shy away from humans normally, or do you live your life mindful of their presence?

Tink

[Captain Kev]

I think that we naturally have an awareness of what could be construed as dangerous wildlife.

Quite a lot of people have phobias towards animals, especially snakes and spiders, this apparently is an inbuilt mechanism to protect us from what could potentially be a poisonous or harmful threat.

I’ve seen programmes in India where Tiger attacks have occurred, the population of the general area stick to particular regimes in order to lessen the chance of attack.

I’ve heard of people in Australia always checking under the toilet seat before doing the business, so to speak, in case of a Black widow bite in the nethers.
Likewise in the tropics the advice given is always check your boots before putting them on.

I suppose it depends on the general area and the inhabitants within it. i.e. in parts of the USA there are people living alongside Bears, (as in Bearwatch, ski resort)
The folk who permanently live alongside the Bears know what to do and how to react if one lumbers out of the forest into their town, where as a tourist wouldn’t have a clue.

But it would be nice to get some input from someone not living in the UK who has to live in this situation.

[Tanny]

I love that bit about checking the toilet seat, and its actualy true if youre using the dunny in the garden. I got bitten by the red-back on the arm and the excrutiating pain lasted for seven days. I had to pack ice on the spot day and night. To have one bite you on the neither region would be a nightmare. When travelling through the bush, be it the dense undergrowth of the forests or the sparse schrub of the outback you will see some of the most deadliest snakes in the world, but be assured, they nearly always dash away from you, mind you ther's always the exception, the Death Adder who lies there in the path curled up waiting for its prey to approach, the blighter dosen't move away and many people are bitten when they tread on it. In the Sydney area of Australia there is the Funnel-web Spider that lives around the houses and has killed quite a few people. In the north of Australia the Marine Crocodile regularly pounces on unwary people or preferably their pet dogs. The list of deadly creatures in Australia goes on and on, Tics, Scorpions, Scrub Bulls, Buffalo, even the Duck-billed Platypus. Iv'e only mentioned the land creatures, the seas around the country kill many more people, Sharks, Sting Rays, Sea Snakes, Box Jellyfish, Cone Shells, Stonefish and Stinging Coral, and on and on. Speaking as a person who has spent 37 years in Australia and who has wandered throughout the outback, sleeping on the ground, sometimes in the swag or open to the elements, and who has swam among the loneyest coral reefs in the country, I would say that it is quite safe living among the most dedliest creatures emaginable. Or was I just lucky.

[Captain Kev]

Great post Tanny, enjoyed that

[Wonmiprut]

Where you get it???

[Owl-Light]

Hey Tink

I spent most of my early childhood in Africa and you're just a bit more aware of your environment when you live in a country like that. We had all kinds of wild visitors to our compound. A Leopard in one of the trees once and a Black Mamba on the drive... All a bit exciting I can tell you!

A Bat got into my Dad's mosquitto net at night once. It's not that the Bat was dangerous in itself but there is always a rabies threat to consider. Even so it was all very funny at the time though Dad was not happy

On the whole wild animals even the great big dangerous ones are more afraid of you than you are of them, you just have to be careful not to surprise or be surprised by them at close quarters. You always shake your shoes out in the morning before putting them on, little things like that but after a while it all becomes second nature.

It's kinda like crossing the road, you know cars are dangerous you just make sure you don't step out in front of them

[Cherrybee]

I would love to see the wild animals but I think all the insects snakes and spiders would scare the living daylights out of me

[paul m]

Well, it does make you think! Some really interesting posts - most would encourage me to stay indoors! On the other hand, someone has made the point that the world's most dangerous animal (killing more humans than any other, that is) is the mosquito ......

[paul m]

Seems that a small but nasty jellyfish is spreading around Australia's coast: Planet Ark : FEATURE - Jellyfish deaths spark hunt for new Australian killer
... keep your wet suit on ......

[Linda Frost]

My husband went to water the garden with the hose pipe until he realised he was about to pick up a snake, he screamed like a girl of course i never let him forget it till a poisonous one ran past me..now the joke is on me cause i screamed louder, we do get jumping spiders i shall take a pic of one, they hurt when they bite you...
Mosquitos now they really are a problem..

[wild worlds]

I think Tanny has hit the balance here. I can only speak about Africa here, but when I go in the bush, I regard myself as either a threat or a meal. In theory the meal is quite easy to deal with, keep your eyes open and don’t go close to big predators. Only problem is you are a meal for mossies, tics and the rest of the parasites that will feast on you in the bush. So just cover up and use your insect replant. The threat is the difficult one. That tends to happen when neither you or the creature see each other until it is to late. So it’s fight or flight. 99 times out of 100 it’s flight but the littlies like spiders etc. fight. (one or two of the biggies do as well) So keep your eyes open, go in the bush with some one that understands it and all should be fine. Two or three trips and you feel safer than in a city. Most of the time you tend to be in a cruiser or landy which is just ignored by game. I have never come across a lager fuelled, crack head lion that wants to kill me for no reason yet! WW

[goosey]

It makes living Britain or Holland seem rather tame -I can live with tame a whole lot easier than with snakes, spiders and everything else mentioned . Thank you all for contributing, there are some really enlightning posts in this thread .

[Linda Frost]

Originally Posted by Linda Frost

My husband went to water the garden with the hose pipe until he realised he was about to pick up a snake, he screamed like a girl of course i never let him forget it till a poisonous one ran past me..now the joke is on me cause i screamed louder, we do get jumping spiders i shall take a pic of one, they hurt when they bite you...
Mosquitos now they really are a problem..

This is the jumping spider i was telling you all about.