Course · Safety

Wild Animal Encounters: What to Do to Survive

How to act when you meet a bear, moose, wild boar, wolf, lynx, or snake — and at the water's edge in faraway countries: the “stop — assess — back away” algorithm, protection from rabies and ticks, myth-busting, and scenario practice. Not a substitute for park rules and ranger briefings.

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Unit 1. The ground rules: how a wild animal thinks

Lesson 1. Why animals attack — and why they usually don't

7 exercises · Understand that almost every attack is defense, not a hunt, and why you should always leave an animal an escape route.

Lesson 2. Avoiding the encounter: prevention

7 exercises · Learn to behave so that an animal knows about you in advance and leaves on its own — on the trail, in camp, and near food.

Lesson 3. One algorithm for every encounter

7 exercises · Learn the “stop — assess — back away” sequence and the key fork: show you're not a threat, or show you're not prey.

Unit 2. Bears

Lesson 1. Meeting a brown bear

7 exercises · Learn how to act when you meet a brown bear — from a distant sighting to a close approach — and how to read its warnings.

Lesson 2. Defensive or predatory attack — two opposite responses

7 exercises · Tell a bear's defensive and predatory attacks apart and remember: “play dead” works only in a defensive attack; in a predatory one, your only option is to fight back.

Lesson 3. Bears and food: camps, garbage, and myths

7 exercises · Understand why food is the main magnet for bears, what makes “town” bears and winter wanderers dangerous, and debunk persistent myths.

Unit 3. Hoofed animals: herbivores that hit back

Lesson 1. Moose: here you can run

7 exercises · Remember the signs of a moose about to attack and the main thing that sets hoofed animals apart: you can and should run from them to cover.

Lesson 2. Wild boar: a tree is your best friend

7 exercises · Learn to steer clear of wild boars, recognize dangerous situations, and act correctly if one attacks.

Lesson 3. Bison and deer: distance is everything

7 exercises · Keep your distance from large hoofed animals, read their warning signals, and don't repeat tourists' “selfie mistakes.”

Unit 4. Predators: wolves and wild cats

Lesson 1. The wolf and the pack

6 exercises · Understand the real level of risk from wolves and practice what to do when you meet a lone wolf and a pack.

Lesson 2. Wild cats: here you look them in the eye

7 exercises · Remember the “cat” exception: eye contact, height, and noise — and never play dead in front of a cat.

Lesson 3. The animal that's too tame: rabies

7 exercises · Recognize the signs of rabies in wild animals and know the exact steps to take after any bite or saliva contact.

Unit 5. Small and deadly

Lesson 1. Snakes: see them before you step on them

7 exercises · Don't step on it, don't touch it: learn to get through snake country and to part ways safely with a snake you meet.

Lesson 2. Snakebite: what not to do matters more

6 exercises · Learn a short first-aid protocol for a bite and the list of dangerous “folk” remedies that cripple people more often than the venom does.

Lesson 3. Ticks and stinging insects: silent threats

7 exercises · Protect yourself from ticks, remove an attached tick correctly, avoid provoking a swarm of stinging insects, and recognize anaphylaxis.

Unit 6. Water and faraway lands

Lesson 1. Sharks and crocodiles

7 exercises · Reduce the risks near tropical water: behave correctly in the sea where there are sharks and on shores where crocodiles live.

Lesson 2. Safari: elephants, hippos, and monkeys

7 exercises · Read the signals of large savanna animals, know the hippo's “water rule,” and avoid provoking primates.

Lesson 3. Final exam: the survival course

8 exercises · Apply the rules of the whole course to mixed scenarios and separate myths from the actions that really save lives.