How to Stay Safe When Encountering Wild Animals
Usually, when I go home late at night, I look closely at the creepy people, but last night a coyote was chasing me down the street. I didn’t know what to do.
The coyote and I met at an intersection — he was walking down the street that I led to my apartment, about one block away from me. We both seemed surprised. There is a lot of nature in this area, but it is not a rural area. It is located near Griffith Park in Los Angeles, home to many wildlife, including many coyotes. I saw them there, but I was always with a large group of people, so the coyotes stayed away.
He left, then came back; he chased me as I retreated and tried to remember what to do. I really wanted to run away, but I didn’t do it until I turned the corner from his shiny eyes. The next morning I spoke to Martin Colette, director of Wildlife Way Station . She said such meetings have become “a fairly common situation these days.”
“Our local wildlife had no choice but to become urbanized,” she continued. “Our urban sprawl has been so significant that it has invaded all wildlife habitats. They really have no choice but to learn to live with us. They did a good job! “
Colette says humans are a great resource for wildlife: we leave dog food, grow fruit trees, and scatter trash that attracts (adorable) rodents. Because of this, according to Colette, we must learn to live with them. And when a coyote appears on the lawn, you need to know how to safely get to the front door.
Don’t feed the wild
Since the coyote didn’t attack me, Colette says she was probably just curious about my appearance or smell. And he might have thought that I would feed him.
“People also feed coyotes, which is very dangerous. As soon as the animal associates food with people, they will wait for distribution. “
She adds that even if the coyote does not intentionally attack you, it may accidentally bite you while trying to grab food. It also obviously creates situations where they approach the wrong, unsuspecting person. Don’t feed the animals, no matter how cool it sounds.
Hide your dog
Colette told me that I was “too big” for a coyote to kill, and they still don’t eat people. But if you have a small dog and a coyote is chasing both of you, they will probably think the Shih Tzu is a delicious snack. Colette recommends picking up your dog and tucking it into your jacket until you move away from the coyote to get rid of the temptation.
When to stand your ground
People often say that when you encounter a large predator, you have to stand your ground and look big to scare it away; at the moment, however, it seemed overly antagonistic. I asked Colette if I should have done this.
“I suggest that if the animal is following you, keep an eye on it and mind your own business,” she said. Most of the time, they are not particularly interested in you and are just trying to figure out if you are a threat or if they have food. But you have to know – what are the intentions of the animal?
If a coyote was chasing you and had bad intentions, or if you are traveling somewhere and bumped into a bear and a mountain lion, you can stop, put your jacket over your head to become as tall and wide as possible, and speak Russian. stern voice; stay away from the animal and stand still. If that makes sense, take a step back and stop; take a step back and stop.
I asked how I would know if an animal had bad intentions. She said that with coyotes, they walk towards you with their heads down and look at you like an angry or frightened dog. And if you feel threatened, try to arm yourself immediately: “Raise a stick, a stone, a stone – if you have a purse, throw your purse away.”
Never, never run
After I turned the corner, I ran away, but I’m very glad that I was smart enough not to do it in front of the coyote. Colette says this would be a huge mistake.
“Never, never run, I don’t care what it is, never run. When you start to run, it triggers this predator-prey mechanism. All predators have a mechanism to chase whatever runs. “
They can’t help themselves, so you have to restrain yourself.
Wear a cane
If you are planning to go on a hike where you might encounter a large predator, Colette suggests bringing a cane with you. She compares it to a whip or chair used by trainers in a circus – the real purpose of these objects is not for entertainment, but to increase the length of the person’s arm holding them. But this is not just a hike proposal, as my experience shows. If you are walking a small dog at night, take a cane with you just in case.
“It will make you feel better, and as you gain more confidence, it will give your physique a different look,” says Colette. Demeanor is important because “they read fear very well.”