Animals - are you prepared ?

[The Stig]

In searching the interwebs for interesting intel/news stories I came across these about animals....


NEW YORK (WABC) -- A musician from Brooklyn says she got attacked Wednesday night by a pair of raccoons in Central Park. They went for her leg.

"It was my first encounter with a raccoon where there was contact," said Taraka Larson, attacked by raccoons.

Taraka Larson can joke about her run-in with a raccoon now, but it was no laughing matter two evenings ago when she met up with a pair, as she took a stroll around a pond near 59th Street in Central Park.

She says the animals approached her and attacked.

HERE (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9192709&hpt=us_bn7)


JACKSONVILLE, N.C. – A public safety officer in eastern North Carolina shot and killed an alligator after it ate an 80-pound Husky that was walking with its owner.

Officials in Jacksonville, N.C., said a woman was walking the dog at dusk Tuesday when it ran to the edge of the water near a local shopping center. Alligators usually feed around dusk.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/25/north-carolina-police-shoot-kill-gator-after-it-eats-husky/#ixzz2b0RMHMOQ



NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Neighbors and a local city councilman have called on the city to step up its efforts, as a park in Woodside, Queens remains overrun with rats.

As CBS 2’s Dave Carlin reported Wednesday night, John Vincent Daniels Jr. Square, at Roosevelt Avenue between 50th and 52nd streets in Queens, should be a tranquil place. Instead, there’s a rat race going on — in the most literal sense.

CBS 2 spotted some kids watching the rats running around the park. Their mother decided to stand far away.

“I use to play with my kids here, but now not, because it’s too scary; I mean, dangerous,” Delia Tenazake said.
play

Parkgoers said they have found the rats right at their feet.

“When you walk, you’ve got to (stomp),” one man said.

HERE (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/07/31/neighbors-rats-have-ruined-park-in-woodside-queens/?hpt=us_bn7)



WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A 4-year-old Woodland Hills boy is recovering Thursday night after being stung 40 times by a swarm of bees over the weekend.

Max Bordonaro was playing at Warner Center Park with his grandmother Sunday night when he chased a ball into an open field.

“I was chasing the ball and tried to stop it, but when I stopped it, I didn’t see the bees. And they stung me. And it hurt really bad, so I my Nona rushed me home,” said Max.

The boy’s father, Luigi Bordonaro, said once Max went to bed later that night, he started to have an allergic reaction.

HERE (http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/08/01/4-year-old-boy-attacked-by-swarm-of-bees-at-woodland-hills-park/?hpt=us_bn10)


Ok...none of those rise to the level of SHTF (unless you're the one getting nailed by a swarm of bees).

That said, imagine there is either a localized or broad scale SHTF event in your area.....ever think much about the wild animals?

Are you prepare for the myriad of stings, bites, scrapes and other various sources of injury and infection?

How about the nasty parasites and diseases they carry?

Have you thought much about wild animals and what role they might play in your preps for SHTF events?

[Possom]

I live in the middle of no where so contact with wild animals is pretty well a daily event. On the mammal side I am on the top of the food chain. Wild animals are a source of food for us yearly. Every season I trap coons and bobcat to eat and sell the pelts as well as kill squirrel rabbit deer and bear to fill the freezers. People are attacked by animals because they are no longer accustomed to being around animals.

As for insects I have had my fair share of wasp stings and yellow jacket stings. They hurt but a pinch of tobacco on them normally calms it back down. I have a large swarm of honey bees in the back yard. You don't bother them and they won't bother you.

People have forgotten how to live among animals and fail to remember animals are wild and run on instinct.

As for the lady that got attacked by coons. Coons are mean little animals. More then likely someone had been feeding them and they wanted more. If people use common sense wild animals are not an issue at all.

[Stormfeather]

I dont know Possum. . .That whole top of the food chain comment. Ive made it a point to teach, in the confines of your 4 walls, you are at the top of the food chain, once you step out, you always drop down a few rungs. Mountain lions can catch you unawares, imagine little Fluffy the kitten playing with a feather around your leg, then take Fluffy and times that by 10, it becomes big Fluffy with big claws, I know when a 3 month old kitten goes running up my leg, that freaking hurts, now imagine big Fluffy Mountain Kitty wanting to play chow time on a unsuspecting person. I had to do an investigation once back in 1994 in California on a cougar attack (not the older woman type cougar!) and the human remains I witnessed was munched on pretty good. Take that same scenario and put a guy like Helo into it, working on oil rigs out in the ocean, once you step into the water, you are no longer top of the food chain there either. I tend to respect wild animals, but am more than willing to back away than attempt contact. Meat eating animals are predators, and that includes bears. You can also see, that bears are becoming more and more predatory here in the lower 48, there used to only be maybe 1-2 bear attacks a decade in the lower 48, now its a whole different ballgame.Check the facts, theres been fatal bear attacks in Tennessee, Colorado, Utah, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and its all in areas we preppers like to frequent! As far as coons, ive got a .22 and shoot every one of those little opposing thumbed rats that I can.

[Sniper-T]

Both good points. You're only the top of the food chain when you are armed and ready. A cougar, wolf, or bear, is ALWAYS armed and ready. and more times than not... hungry. And, I don't think the question is just about YOU... what about the people in your group? Is your wife the top of the food chain? what about your kids?

I too live in the bush, and regulary shoot bears and wolves in my yard. So am I at the top? Yep, right now... so far... can that change? yep! day to day, season by season. Around here, most bear attacks occur in the spring/early summer, after hibernation, but before natural food is prevelant. Coyotes and wolves are moreso in the late summer/fall, when they get ready for winter. But that doesn't mean that me or mine are safe on their off season.
A mama bear with cubs is dangerous all the time. A wolf or coyote if cornered, or in a pack situation is always dangerous. Big cats, are always unpredictable and always dangerous.

In addition to my living I also hunt and fish in extremely remote areas, as well as canoe and camp. So in adition to self defence, treatment is paramount. Am I prepared for every scenario? Of course not; but am I prepare for 'common ones'? I'd like to think so. My first aid kits are a little more extreme than say the ones we have at work, as they contain painkillers, antibiotics, needles, thread, etc. Being remote, it could be hours or days before medical attention can be reached, so I try to be prepared enough to handle up to a week of bandgae/dressing changes, etc.

All that said... Being armed and ready doesn't put me at or near the top of the food chain, being prepared to deal with injuries, is what nudges me above other predators.

IMO

[Possom]

We don't have mountain lions here. But I understand what you are saying. I don't underestimate animals or put myself in a position to get hurt.

[ladyhk13]

We have to remember that humans are encroaching on the wild animal habitat. Once towns and the "wild" had a buffer so the animals stayed put and had plenty of food. As our population has grown and we have taken more and more of their territory we have also taken away their food sources. Then we complain when we find a bear going through our trash cans? What do ya expect? I never understood these people who bought a house in a mega subdivision in Florida out near the Everglades and then yell for the game warden to come kill the gator that ended up in their swimming pool. Idiot...if you can't deal with the local wildlife don't freaking move there and then expect to eradicate them because you want to put a house in their back yard. Stay in the darn city. Really pisses me off about all those northerners that came down to fl and destroyed our state. Ok, I'll shut up about that now.
Bees usually will not attack unless you disturb the hive and start swatting at them...hornets on the other hand are pretty mean but even those don't seem to mess with ya unless you get too close to them. I think if you live where there are massive amounts of bees or you have hives you might be able to ask your doc for a script for epi just in case you are attacked. Even though you may not be normally allergic from just one sting if you are swarmed it could kill you so the doc could take that into consideration and give you a script.

[piranha2]

It also has been broadcasted down here for the last several years that 70% of the coons have rabies. We do not take those chances.

[Stormfeather]

We don't have mountain lions here. But I understand what you are saying. I don't underestimate animals or put myself in a position to get hurt.

no mountain lions huh?. . . heheh, you sure? :)

http://www.cougarnet.org/southeast.html

[Possom]

Yes I am sure there is not a breeding population of mountain lions here. There have always been a few that move through out of Texas but not enough to be recognized as a permanent breeding population here.

My entire life I can recall hearing of maybe 3 or 4 being killed. Not enough to concern me or convince me they are repopulating our area.

We do have a healthy black bear population here. The likelihood of walking up on a black bear in the woods is far greater than walking up on a mountain lion. A sow black bear with cubs can be a formidable opponent if you aren't careful. If you know how to act around a bear, even with cubs, that situation can be gotten through without injury to you or to the bear.

We do have a lot of wild life here that is no longer recognized as being here by the game and fish commission (such as the ring tailed wild cat) but I don't think there are enough mountain lions here to worry about.

To sum it up though, I have no fear of walking through the mountains here. I have walked hundreds of miles through the mountains and woods here in my lifetime following coon dogs.

I feel much safer out in the woods at night than I do in the middle of a city at noon.

The only animal in the United States that will kill a human just to do it is another human.

[ak474u]

I'm always worried that I'll meet a pack of dogs when I'm out doing estimates on houses. I end up in some shady neighborhoods where pits run free, and out in the sticks on a regular basis where people's dogs run free, and others dump unwanted abused dogs. When I'm at a customer's house, I carry a beretta .22 mostly for dogs. I've always got a big gun in my bag, but a compact carry-everywhere option is nice for dogs, and vicious tree frogs.

[Stormfeather]

Well said brother! Like you, I feel more comfortable in the woods, than I do in a major American metropolitan city. Downtown Kabul. . .not a problem, Im totally at ease, Downtown Minneapolis/St Paul, Im condition one, head on a swivel, threat level Red.

[MegaCPC]

My area has mountain lions, they get big enough to where I wouldn't want to run into one face to face unprepared. Personally I've seen three full grown ones, and one youth.

Usually they are pretty skittish, unless you are aggressive towards them. The biggest one I ever saw was casually walking across Pacific Coast Highway, to the beach. :confused: I'm glad I was in my truck.

Other than that, we have coyotes, but they are scared of their own shadow if they're not in a pack of 10+.

[Sniper-T]

lol

I'll get back to this one..

[The Stig]

While I've come to love Shelton ( ;) ) and it's surroundings the fact is there's a lot of shit here that wants to eat/sting/bite/attack/maul/generally fuck me up.

What round for black/brown widow's ?

[helomech]

While I've come to love Shelton ( ;) ) and it's surroundings the fact is there's a lot of shit here that wants to eat/sting/bite/attack/maul/generally fuck me up.

What round for black/brown widow's ?

We used to have lots of brown recluse and black widows, but now that we have chickens I rarely ever see any.

[izzyscout21]

What round for black/brown widow's ?

Fire

[Stormfeather]

Chickens work great, and they are a great food source.

[eagle326]

While I've come to love Shelton ( ;) ) and it's surroundings the fact is there's a lot of shit here that wants to eat/sting/bite/attack/maul/generally fuck me up.

What round for black/brown widow's ?


I recommend small amounts of Napalm. Now you might get some collateral damage but the results are awesome in them selves. ;)

[mitunnelrat]

Fire

Its the only way to be sure.

[Sniper-T]

gut them first. they taste 'funny' otherwise.