How to Survive a Shark Attack and more on Holiday!

As more and more people are going to far away holiday destinations and going on so called “Adventure Holidays” there may come a time when you need to defend yourself against an attack by one of the local species of wild animals. We thought we would have a look at what advice we could find to help you should you venture a little bit further than you should do off the beaten track!

How to survive a crocodile attack

There are many countries in the world where you might encounter one of these ferocious creatures, and one of the most likely places is in the Northern Territory of Australia. An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by saltwater crocodiles, known locally as “salties”, which can grow up to seven metres (23 feet) long and weigh more than a tonne.

Recently an Australian man had to jab a crocodile in the eyes to force its jaws off his arm after it leapt from the water and bit him during a fishing trip and that seems to be the only way that you will get the croc to let go. It’s certainly worth a try should you find yourself in such an unfortunate predicament.

How to survive a shark attack

The majority of shark attacks occur in the USA but it is the fear of sharks in most of us that creates a feeling of fear rather than the actual chances of being biiten by a shark. Going swimming in the sea will always have its risks. You can get stung by a jellyfish, tread on a sea urchin and in very rare cases be attacked by a shark. However, did you know that shark attacks are rarely fatal and 80% survive the attack. In 2010 there were 79 shark attacks worldwide and 6 of these were fatal. The majority of shark attacks are in the USA, South Africa and Australia.

The best way to survive a shark attack, of course, is to prevent one happening. You can do this by avoiding swimming alone, heeding shark warnings, avoid swimming in the dark and not provoking a shark. If the worst case scenario happens and you are attacked then you should fight back. A sharks, eyes, gills and snout are its most sensitive so you should try and hit it where it hurts. If you are biiten then you need to get out of the water as sson as possible because  a shark can smell even very tiny amounts of blood and it may well come back. If you are a surfer you should carry something that you can use as a tourniquet.

How to survive a snake bite

The first thing that you should know is that deaths from snake bites are very rare. In the United States about 10 people a year die from snake bites but the majority of these deaths came after the person provoked the snake. If you get bitten by a snake the first thing you need to try and find out is whether the snake is poisonous. 50% of snakes are not poisonous. If there are fang punctures, pain and swelling within a few minutes the its likely that the snake bite contained poisenous venom.

You need to get to the hospital as soon as possible but if you can’t get to the hospital you should lie down with your head slightly lower than the rest of the body and try to remove the toxin by using a suction device out or squeezing it. Don’t try to suck the venom out using your mouth like you may have seen in films…it could travel to your heart and kill you within minutes!

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