Do you plan to take your next foreign trip and spend time in the wild with animals? Do you long to see real African elephants and lions in the world-renowned Maasai Mara? If you intend to witness the famous wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara, then pay attention to your personal safety. Before talking to one of our writers to write you the best college papers, urge you to pay attention to our safari experts on this matter. The reason is that one of these fine days you could find yourself in Africa among real lions, hippos, and giraffes.
When that day comes, it is necessary to be equipped with information that will keep you safe. The reason is that your safety is more important than your adventure or excitement out there in the wild. So, remain with our insightful discourse to help you keep safe and return home safely.
Wear Boots
When out in the wild, you should never forget your big boots. The reason is that wearing boots keeps you safe from possible deadly snakes and scorpion bites, most of which could be fatal.
Don’t Trespass
Just because you are in the wild doesn’t mean you should also become wild and break designated restrictions. Remember, you are a human being on a tour to see wild animals, and not a wild animal. So, you should heed all warnings not to cross some boundaries. If you find warnings instructing you not to do some things, please comply. It is better to look foolish and “unadventurous” and return home alive or safer than assume your “adventurous” spirit and go back home “horizontally” when you left there “vertically”—on your feet!
Before breaking a certain boundary, just ask yourself why the park management allowed you in and then restrained you from doing some things. I don’t think they are being inhibitive to your adventurous spirit. The truth is that they know that terrain better than you because they live there. So, be wise enough to abide by all the restrictions because anything done in excess is destructive.
Here are some of the saddest recent tragedies that National Geographic has documented. If people heeded warnings and remained within defined restrictions, they could not have been a part of these sad and regrettable statistics. For instance, a man died after wandering off the boardwalk and falling into a hot spring. Also, Nat Geog records of a dad and son suffering serious burns after ignoring warnings not to touch highly acidic thermal pools. Another sad incident Nat Geog records is that of a man who died while trying to photoshoot sunset. What happened? The “adventurous” man accidentally fell off a cliff and faced a premature death that could have been avoided by simply heeding warnings. Lastly, 2011 also recorded a tragedy following the death of three people who were swept over a waterfall in Yosemite after ignoring a safety barrier.
Are these incidences scarecrows? Of course, not. The facts remain that all boundaries are designed with your safety in mind. When faced with a choice between being safe while looking “foolish and unadventurous,” or looking “outgoing” at your life’s expense, which one will you make?
Keep a Safe Distance
Another safety tip when out in the wild is keeping a safe distance when viewing wild animals. It is safe to keep a distance of at least 300 feet from ferocious animals such as bears and hyenas. When viewing buffalos, you have to keep off by at least 75 feet. This distance is for your own safety. Even when watching smaller and harmless animals like gazelles, don’t move too close. Why? Because these animals attract dangerous predators such as cheetahs, lions, and leopards. This means staying close to them exposes you to these deadly hunters’ attacks.
Don’t Unleash Your Dog
Do you love your pet dog so much that you want to carry him to the park? Then you have to be careful how you handle him there because if you don’t leash the dog, you risk stirring conflict with other wild animals. For instance, if you unleash your dog towards another wild animal, it could feel threatened and get aggressive. This could lead to an attack on you and the dog.
Protect Yourself Against Pests
When out there in the wild, you don’t only need to protect yourself against the big animals. The reason is that smaller creatures could cause serious and even bigger damage than big ones. You should protect yourself against insects such as mosquitoes and ticks because they could bite and infect you. To keep safe, wear protective clothing or spray yourself with insect repellents. This becomes more appropriate if you are camping in the wild. Remember, the bigger animals might fear people but these tiny and venomous creatures don’t recognize you as the official custodian of this earth.
Don’t Leave the Car
Do you want to enjoy your tour out in the wild while remaining safe? Then you have to remain in the tour van anytime you are driving in the wild. This could sound obvious, but up to now, people still die or get injured in the wild by animals by refusing to heed this simple tip.
Keep Your Swimming Prowess for Another Day
Are you an expert swimmer who thinks can rival fish? If you are, then the rivers, springs, ponds, and lakes in game reserves are the wrong place to showcase your swimming prowess. Never plunge into any water body, unless you have gotten assurance and clearance from the tour guide. The reason is that some of those water bodies are infested by ravenous crocs and hippos that could kill you.
We hope these tips are enough, at least for today, to keep you safe during your next trip you take to enjoy viewing wild animals. The ball is now in your court to do the right thing and keep yourself safe while there.
