Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook Page 4
5 Detach the octopus from its anchor.
Using the sucker removal method described in step 4, separate the octopus from its anchor. Octopi prefer to be anchored to a fixed object and may swim away once dislodged.
6 Turn somersaults in the water.
If you have detached the octopus from its mooring but are still being held, turn your body in circles in the water to irritate it into releasing you.
Peel the suckers starting from the tip of the octopus’s arm.
7 Swim toward the surface.
Octopi dislike air intensely and will release you once they break the surface. Continue to peel the octopus’s suckers from your body as you swim.
BE AWARE!
A giant Pacifc octopus may be well over 100 pounds, with an arm span of 23 feet.
Giant octopi are extremely strong but do not constrict prey to kill: they tear victims with their sharp beaks.
Giant Pacifc octopi are not poisonous, though bites may become infected.
Octopi typically eat crabs and clams, though they may eat fish and birds, and may bite anything.
Without training or free-diving experience, a swimmer will typically be able to hold his or her breath for only about a minute before losing consciousness.
HOW TO FEND OFF A SHARK
1 Hit back.
If a shark is coming toward you or attacks you, use anything you have in your possession—a camera, a probe, a harpoon gun, your fist—to hit the shark’s eyes or gills, which are the areas most sensitive to pain.
2 Make quick, sharp, repeated jabs in these areas.
Sharks are predators and will usually only follow through on an attack if they have the advantage, so making the shark unsure of its advantage in any way possible will increase your chances of survival. Contrary to popular opinion, the shark’s nose is not the area to attack, unless you cannot reach the eyes or gills. Hitting the shark simply tells it that you are not defenseless.
How to Avoid an Attack
Always stay in groups.
Sharks are more likely to attack an individual.
Do not wander too far from shore.
This isolates you and creates the additional danger of being too far from assistance.
Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours.
Sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage in low light.
Do not enter the water if you are bleeding from an open wound or if you are menstruating.
Sharks are drawn to the smell of blood, and their olfactory ability is acute.
Do not to wear shiny jewelry.
The reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.
Avoid waters with known effluence or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fishermen, especially if there are signs of baitfish or feeding activity.
Diving seabirds are good indicators of such activity.
Use extra caution when waters are murky.
Avoid showing any uneven tan lines or wearing brightly colored clothing—sharks see contrast particularly well.
If a shark shows itself to you, it may be curious rather than predatory.
It will probably swim on and leave you alone. If you are under the surface and lucky enough to see an attacking shark, then you do have a good chance of defending yourself if the shark is not too large.
Scuba divers should avoid lying on the surface.
They may look like a piece of prey to a shark, and from there they cannot see a shark approaching.
Strike with your fist at the eyes or the gills. The nose is NOT as sensitive as the areas mentioned in step 1, a common misconception.
A shark attack is a potential danger for anyone who frequents marine waters, but it should be kept in perspective.
Bees, wasps, and snakes are responsible for far more fatalities each year, and in the United States the annual risk of death from lightning is 30 times greater than from a shark attack.
WARNING!
Most shark attacks occur in nearshore waters, typically inshore of a sandbar or between sandbars, where sharks feed and can become trapped at low tide. Areas with steep drop-offs are also likely attack sites. Sharks congregate in these areas, because their natural prey congregates there.
Three Kinds of Shark Attacks
“Hit and run” attacks are by far the most common. These typically occur in the surf zone, where swimmers and surfers are the targets. The victim seldom sees its attacker, and the shark does not return after inflicting a single bite or slash wound.
“Bump and bite” attacks are characterized by the shark initially circling and often bumping the victim prior to the actual attack. These types of attacks usually involve divers or swimmers in deeper waters, but also occur in nearshore shallows in some areas of the world.
“Sneak” attacks differ: the strike can occur without warning. With both “bump and bite” and “sneak” attacks, repeat attacks are common, and multiple and sustained bites are the norm. Injuries incurred during this type of attack are usually quite severe, frequently resulting in death.
Box jellyfish and detail of venom-filled nematocyst that stings prey. The tentacles, which can be 10 feet or longer, have thousands of nematocysts.
HOW TO SURVIVE A JELLYFISH STING
1 Leave the water.
2 Rinse the affected skin with seawater.
Thoroughly flush the affected portions of your body with handfuls or bucketfuls of seawater. Do not rinse with freshwater, rub sand on the skin, or urinate on the stung area, as these actions might cause any nematocysts left behind to fire secondary venom.
3 Pour white vinegar on the affected area.
Vinegar prevents additional toxins from being released.
4 Carefully remove any remaining tentacles.
Lift the tentacles off your skin with a towel or tweezers, or scrape them off with the edge of a credit card or seashell. Do not use your hand or foot, or you risk those areas being stung. Examine your swimwear as well as your flesh for stray tentacles.
5 Do not go back in the water.
Jellyfish often travel in a group, formally called a “bloom” or “smack” of jellyfish, and so it is not uncommon to be stung more than once.
6 Take over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen or aspirin as needed.
WARNING!
If left on your skin, tentacles will keep stinging until the nematocysts are used up, so rapid removal is important.
Dispose of tentacles carefully. Don’t allow them to get on your clothes, on a beach chair or towel, or anywhere they might be unwittingly stepped on.
Marine Creatures Tat Can Kill You Without Teeth
ANIMAL: Box jellyfish
HABITAT: Great Barrier Reef and eastern Australia
WEAPONRY: Dozens of tentacles as long as 10 feet, containing a deadly venom
CONSEQUENCE: Poison affects heart and lungs; can kill in minutes.
ANIMAL: Surgeonfish
HABITAT: Tropics and coral reefs
WEAPONRY: Razor-sharp spines in tail
CONSEQUENCE: Spines can cause bloody wounds with high chance of infection.
ANIMAL: Rabbitfish
HABITAT: Coral reefs in the Indian and Pacifc oceans
WEAPONRY: Venomous spines in fins
CONSEQUENCE: Poison can kill even after fish is dead and on butcher’s block.
ANIMAL: Cone shell snail
HABITAT: Tropics and coral reefs
WEAPONRY: Harpoonlike barb
CONSEQUENCE: Barb injects a paralyzing venom powerful enough to kill a human.
ANIMAL: Barracuda
HABITAT: Tropical waters
WEAPONRY: Ciguatera toxin
CONSEQUENCE: Kills humans who eat flesh of infected fish.
BIRDS
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HOW TO SURVIVE A BIRD ATTACK
1 Watch for hovering and clacking.
To intimidate predators, many species will hover and clack their beaks
before attacking. If you observe this behavior, be ready for a bird attack.
2 Close your eyes and cover your ears.
A bird will swoop down quickly, striking at the head or shoulders with its wings or beak.
3 Run for cover away from nesting and foraging areas.
If on a golf course, run as fast as you can onto the green or fairway and away from the area, most likely in the rough, that the bird is protecting. Many species will attack if their nests or foraging areas are disturbed, even incidentally. If a bird attacks, it will continue to attack until you leave these areas. Continue to cover your ears while running.
WARNING!
Wearing a hat can offer some protection to your head against attacks.
Ducks and geese are notorious for going after people. They can approach noisily, heads high. When attacking, they will lower their heads, hiss, and charge, and they can tear exposed flesh with their sharp beaks.
Shield your eyes and face with your arm. With your other hand, grab the bird’s feet and legs from behind, pull it from your hair, and lightly toss the bird away from you. Do not attempt to grab the head or beak.
Limit contact with the outside world—especially with birds.
HOW TO SURVIVE A BIRD FLU OUTBREAK
1 Wash your hands frequently.
Hand-washing is your best defense against all strains of virulent influenza, including bird flu. Wash hands, including wrists, in a soapy lather for 20 seconds and dry with a paper towel. In addition, carry an alcohol-based hand sani-tizer with you and use it regularly.
2 Get a pneumonia vaccine.
Bird flu victims, especially those who are elderly or have chronic illnesses, often suffer the most serious consequences from a secondary pneumonia infection.
3 Wear glasses or goggles.
Your eyes are the window through which many germs enter your body. When at risk of exposure to bird flu, protect your eyes.
4 Wear a respirator.
When in public places, don a hospital-grade respirator. The commonly worn surgical masks actually have little chance of protecting from the germs that carry bird flu.
5 Do not touch birds.
Do not handle poultry, and if you eat it, cook it to a temperature of at least 165° Fahrenheit.
6 Take recommended antiviral medication.
Prescription medications such as Tamiflu have been suc cessfully used in the prevention and treatment of avian flu.
7 Limit contact with the outside world.
If a bird flu outbreak is spreading quickly, normal human interaction can put you in danger. Work from home, and do not socialize.
8 Consult a doctor if you or someone close to you has symptoms.
Immediate medical treatment is the best way to fight bird flu once the virus has been contracted.
WARNING!
Do not rely on the current seasonal flu vaccine as a safeguard, as newer strains of avian flu are constantly evolving.
CLEANING OFF BIRD POOP
CAR
Spray car with water to wash away loose droppings and to soften the hardened ones. Dribble cleaning fluid-preferably a natural one, such as a citrus-based cleaner-onto the remaining droppings and let dissolve. Apply additional cleaner onto a soft cloth and gently scrub. Spray car with water.
PATIO
Using a high-pressure sprayer attachment, blast the surface with a garden hose to remove dried-on droppings. Add a cup of ammonia to a gallon of hot water and use the solution to wash the cement, scrubbing off any remaining droppings or stains with a strong bristle brush. Scatter kitty litter over the cement to absorb the solution. When the cement has dried, sweep up the litter and dispose of it right away, since potentially toxic dust can rise off the crusted poop and spread illness.
CLOTHING
Pick off individual clots of poop with a paper towel, or remove with a spoon if necessary. Brush off any dried-on bits before scrubbing the remaining stain under cold water. Rub with regular soap and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse with water.
HAIR
Take a tissue and wipe wet or runny droppings up from the bottom to the top of the affected area, minimizing risk of its spreading further or getting on your clothes. Clean the rest of the poop out of your hair using a damp washcloth or wetted paper towel. Wash the affected area with soap or shampoo and rinse out in a sink.
HOW TO PREVENT SUCKING A GOOSE INTO YOUR JET ENGINE
1 Check in with AHAS.
The online Avian Hazard Advisory System, created by the United States Air Force, provides real-time information on severe flight risk from birds. Adjust your takeoff time based on AHAS information.
2 Do a simple visual scan.
As you taxi your craft, look out the front and to the sides, noting any crowds of birds that might become an airborne hazard to your craft.
3 Scan the skies using NEXRAD.
The Next Generation Weather Radar system, designed to provide information on fast-moving weather systems, has also proved adept at identifying marauding flocks.
4 Engage landing lights.
There is some evidence that the bright lights will scare off geese and other skittish avian species.
5 Flash a “green laser” out the window.
When birds are spotted, use a TOM500 or other automatic laser system to deploy a flashing green light into the air to stun and confuse them.
6 Fly high.
Rapidly ascend to 3,000 feet, past which most birds are unable to fly.
7 Keep flying.
Once a bird has flown into your engine, remain calm and continue to fly the plane. Remember that even if an engine is lost, the other engine will compensate.
8 Assess the damage.
Check engine readings and visually inspect the aircraft.
WARNING!
Bird strikes are estimated to do more than $600 million of damage to the American commercial aviation industry every year, including windshield strikes. More than 200 people have died worldwide from bird strikes since 1980. Birds that fly into planes include geese, turkey vultures, gulls, and starlings.
Bird strikes are known in the aviation business as “bird hits” or by the acronym BASH, for bird/aircraft strike hazard.
Aviation industry bird-strike simulations are performed using a “chicken gun,” a compressed air gun that shoots a chicken carcass at the hull or engine of an aircraft.
Most modern engines can easily survive being struck by a single bird; typically problems emerge only when the plane “ingests” an entire flock.
JUNGLE ANIMALS
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Identify the oral sucker—the small end.
Place your fingernail next to the oral sucker.
HOW TO REMOVE A LEECH
1 Do not attempt to remove a leech by pulling up on its middle section or by using salt, heat, or insect repellent.
Dislodging by squeezing, salting, burning, or otherwise annoying the leech while it is feeding will cause it to regurgitate, most likely spreading the bacteria from its digestive system into your open wound, causing infection.
2 Identify the anterior (oral) sucker.
Look for the small end of the leech. A common mistake is to go immediately to the large sucker.
3 Place a fingernail on your skin (not on the leech itself), directly adjacent to the oral sucker.
4 Gently but firmly slide your finger toward where the leech is feeding and push the sucker away sideways.
When the seal made by the oral sucker is broken, the leech will stop feeding. After the oral sucker has been dislodged, the leech’s head will seek to reattach, and it may quickly attach to the finger that displaced the head. Even if the oral sucker attaches again, the leech does not begin to feed immediately.
5 Displace the posterior (hind) sucker.
While continuing to f lick occasionally at the small end, push at or pick under the large end (hind sucker) with a fingernail to cause it to lose its suction.
6 Dispose of the leech.
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At this point, the leech may have securely attached itself to the finger you used to remove it. Flick it off—it should detach easily. Once the leech is detached, you can put salt or insect repellent directly on it to keep it from attaching to anything else.
7 Treat the wound.
After the leech’s anticoagulants lose their effect, the wound should heal quickly. Keep the area clean, and cover it with a small bandage if necessary. Avoid scratching the wound. If itching becomes severe, take an antihistamine.
Push the leech sideways to break the seal.
Push or pick at the hind sucker, while continuing to flick at the small end.
HOW TO ESCAPE FROM AN ANGRY GORILLA
1 Evaluate the gorilla’s behavior.
A stressed or angry gorilla is likely to vocalize loudly and pound, jump, or slap the ground before attacking. A gorilla that is just tugging at clothes or grabbing at you may simply be curious.
2 Do not react.
Do not scream, hit, or otherwise antagonize the gorilla. Even if the gorilla grabs you, it may be playful behavior. Scaring or aggravating the gorilla may provoke an angry response.
3 Be submissive.
Do not look directly at the gorilla. Remain quiet. Do not shout or open arms wide to try to appear larger. The gorilla may interpret these acts as hostile.