[airfoil]

Great write-up!

What does one do, however, when in the following situation:

While driving through a forest, you spot a tusker in the middle of the road ahead of you and stop, a good 50+ feet away. Feast your eyes while you can, and hope it lasts, with no incident. All very enjoyable and exciting, until this minibus loaded with people goes right past you and stops ahead of you, blocking your view and more importantly, your path. A few more cars/trucks arrive behind you, effectively boxing you in.

Next, the occupants of the minibus, all chattering excitedly and loudly, catch the attention of the tusker. And then someone in the lineup of vehicles behind me decides to begin honking! All this while a few more vehicles pull up, some alongside me, including some motorcycle riders who in characteristic fashion, went right past all the vehicles and approached rather close to the animal.

We were lucky to have driven away in one piece from this situation, thanks to the Tusker who decided he'd had enough of the uncivilized two legged creatures in their annoying vehicles...and ambled off into the forest.

[rks]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Similarly I have heard my elders say when you are being chased by a snake run in a straight line. Dont know how far this will work.

The website on "Dangerous animals" that I cited says the following:

If you encounter a snake at close range, freeze. Snakes have poor vision and usually strike at moving objects. Any quick movement may precipitate an instinctive strike. Stand still and allow it to move away, or if it doesn't, back away slowly. Never run when you encounter a snake.

I think this applies when you are very close to the snake and it is within striking range. A human being who is outside the striking range ought to be able to comfortably outrun a snake.

[Sam Kapasi]

It's always best to carry the smallest possible tent. Easiest, especially if you have a Landrover to keep your belongings in.

Ofcourse, a completely enclosed tent is the only way to go. Take your anti-malaria pill regularly and apply Odomos liberally. There's no other way out. I find the Blue Odomos gel is more acceptable than the classic cream.

Set up tent in a clearing. Never amidst trees. Shy animals and reptiles hide in trees, it takes a brave animal to walk up to your tent if it's in a clearing.

Near a waterhole, but not too close.

When you hammer in the nails/pegs that hold the tent together, carry some extra extra tentpegs, with some string and rope.

I was disturbed the first few nights, by some (Extremely) scary sounds. Believe it or not the baboons do not take long to figure out a zipper. Unless you want to be joined by a small hairy, ferocious mammal in bed, I suggest you secure the zipper by tying down the zipper grip as well. On the INSIDE, with string.

Here it is safe and advised to make loud sounds. Yell. That keeps them away for a little while.

Many (including me) cannot handle a sleeping bag. I find small enclosed tents to be the best solution. Easy to carry too.

Come morning, don't go ballistic with the zipper. Open a little and peek out first, before you open it completely. I've been greeted once by a pair of Giraffe testicles. Unforgettable.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by airfoil

What does one do, however, when in the following situation:

All you can do, naveen, is hope that education will teach our public to respect animals.

[wolfinstein]

Any suggestion on how to deal with Parading Cows and Buffaloes. I don't Honk. but is there a better way to get past them

[wanderlust]

I would like to emphasize the threat of monkeys that some members have expressed here.

Should you decide to picnic by the roadside, immediately evacuate at the sight of monkeys. Also leave some if not all of your food behind for them, else you will be followed. They do not stop at any cost to get at your food. Man is absolutely no threat to them. Any amount of aggresive shouting and flailing of arms and sticks will not deter them.

Experience has taught me that throwing some amount of your food at the farthest distance you can has saved me from being raided by a troupe of monkeys.

[Harrie]

Originally Posted by airfoil

Great write-up!

What does one do, however, when in the following situation:

We were lucky to have driven away in one piece from this situation, thanks to the Tusker who decided he'd had enough of the uncivilized two legged creatures in their annoying vehicles...and ambled off into the forest.

Adding on, it was in teh middle of the night on the Kothagiri ghat section. And then one guy bravely gets down and takes a photo with the flash on.

What happened?

The tusker brushed a tempo traveller and the tempo lifted clean off the ground and came crashing down.

Again luckily no one was hurt.

[kphilip]

I think the best way to move in the road while cows or buffalos are crossing is from the back of it.. moving it from the front of it is dangerous as they are unpredectable..

[Harrie]

Originally Posted by wolfinstein

Any suggestion on how to deal with Parading Cows and Buffaloes. I don't Honk. but is there a better way to get past them

Sometimes cows over react and might kick your car if you honk. Best thing to do would be to move slowly near them. they usually get out of the way.

[Wimwian]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

5) If forming a mini caravan through a desert, Insist that atleast one camel be female If you are alone, take the female camel...

Ahem... sorry Sam, that's one advice I'm not gonna take to my heart ;-)

Great thread guys, very informative. Keep it coming... I'll share some pics from Gir when I get back home.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

All you can do, naveen, is hope that education will teach our public to respect animals.

EDIT: I thought about this. C for cat and L for Lion is not going to make the public respect wild life. It's a culture thing.

Africa faces similar levels of uneducation and poverty as India. Actually much higher levels of both. They've got this respect thing down pat, well and proper. It's part of what is passed down, father to son.
Don't bother Jumbo and he won't bother you. Brother Lion must eat the hartebeest, he's not evil my child, he's just hungry.

Go to a sanctuary in africa and hire a local to take you around. He won't disturb a thing. It's against his culture and religion. Where he comes from, the animals are respected and loved. Killed for food, yes, but with apologies to the dead animal. It's a culture thing. Can't find the jaguar? Tough cookies to you mate, He's not gonna wake the cat up for you. Is that a nest of snake eggs there? Look, dont touch. Don't go there. You will disturb the animals.

Now do the same at Ranthambore. Watch the guide carry a stick and prod everything in sight. Break the cobwebs, stone the trees so birds fly out. Dekha sirji??? Dekha aapne?? Chalo sau rupye extra do.

Honk so animals get startled. Laugh when his stick strikes home. Spit in the water and watch the fish jump to it.

Nope. It's a culture thing. And we don't respect animals.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by Harrie

Sometimes cows over react and might kick your car if you honk. Best thing to do would be to move slowly near them. they usually get out of the way.

I have seen most of the people honking on roads to make them move. Even humans inhabitants of India dont give way on honking, how do you expect the animals to.

The same animal theory applies to them, dont make them panic and dont honk but be calm and wait, they will give way.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Wimwian

Ahem... sorry Sam, that's one advice I'm not gonna take to my heart ;-)

Wim, I am most serious. Not joking by a long shot. Ask desert people, bedou or kuttch, what i said is good advice, Camel Milk is delicious. If you like tea/coffee with milk in the mornings, whatever will you do in the desert?
It is easy to get lost. Wouldn't you want to be lost with a lot of milk handy, when you run out of food.

I know why you're finding this funny.

Forget the arab in the desert with the female camel joke etc. It's fabricated I assure you.


One more piece of desert advice. Unlike a horse, a camel rein is to be held tight and up and all times. You need the camel to go straight at all times. If you fall asleep on the camel, keep the reins tight and tied. Camels follow the direction their head is pointing in. There are no reference points in the desert.
If the reins are loose and the camel turns slightly, you will have taken a new direction without knowing it. In a few hours you will be far from the direction you wanted to be in. Reins tight and up at all times.

[shazikon]

Some survival tips when you are walking/ trekking through forests..The most dangerous animals in our jungles are the elephants and Bears.. you will stand a little chance to survive if confronted by these beasts..Tigers, leapords dont worry you wont get too close to them cos they know how to keep out of sight of you.. A leapord is probably more dangerous than a tiger because of its stealth and curious nature. A leapord will be just a few feet away hid behind bushes or up a tree but you will never notice him..but he will be watching you and also probably be following you.. so its better be in a group. When you bump in to any animal even elephants for that matter.. dont run unless if it is absolutely inevitable (if its inevitable 90% sure you are a goner) Be calm,Stay put.. no sounds, dont try to reach out for your camera and strat clicking.. give the animal time to settle down from the shock of bumping in to you..The animal is more scared of you than you are of him. Almost all the times the animal will just backtrack and leave (nows your chance to go for the camera ) This has helped me when i bumped into a herd of elephants and a lone Bison. I have one pic where i bumped into a herd of elephants at Brahmagiri i waited untill the elephants passed and it was safe.

[Sam Kapasi]

Trees are as much part of the wild jungle, as the carnivores and the ungulates. Respect the trees.

The muku hapingwa - The Baobab is perhaps the most revered of trees.



Look closely at that photo. Looks like a regular tree, doesn't it? perhaps looks ulta, a bit upside down with it's roots in the air.

Look again. That colourful creature climbing on the trunk is me. And I'm NO small guy.

In the deadly equatorial Summer, these trees store thousands of litres of water inside their trunks.

Nice? A bit OT, na since we're doing animals. Still, this is about survival.

Coming up next: What do you do when you catch lions making out.