Prepare and Protect

Helpful Tips For Wild Animal Attacks

Cougars are nocturnal and are more likely to be seen at dawn or dusk than during the day
photosource: nwtrek.org

A Cougar is Stalking You! What do you do?

Prepare!

1. Look like the opposite of prey; do not squat, do not turn your back, and do not run
2. Make yourself appear larger using jacket or sticks
3. Assert yourself by speaking loudly to the cat
4. Maintain eye contact while backing away slowly

Protect!

1. If attacked fight with everything; your legs, your arms, sticks, or rocks
2. Do not play dead
3. Try to remain standing while also protecting your neck at all times

Black bears come in a variety of colors from light brown to black
photosource: Katie Littlefield - @cocoapower

A Black Bear approaches your campsite! What do you do?

Prepare!

1. Don't leave food out; lock food up and store away from campsite because bears can smell food up to 6 miles away and will memorize that location permanently
2. Carry bear spray with you if you're planning on going somewhere where bears may be
3. Make yourself look bigger using jackets or sticks
4. Be loud! Grab pots and pans if available and make a lot of noise

Protect!

1. If charged don't climb a tree, bears are expert climbers
2. Stand your ground, black bears often bluff when attacking and will give up easily
3. Fight for your life! Aim for the face and use anything you've got to fight back

If you hear the rattle, that's their way of warning you that you're getting too close
photosource: oregonencyclopedia.org

You hear the rattle of a snake in front of you while hiking in Eastern Oregon! What do you do?

Prepare!

1. Freeze! No sudden movements; back away slowly
2. Hike with walking stick to be used to put in between you and the snake
3. Wear long pants and long boots to protect ankles from lethal bite
4. Hike with a buddy so if one person gets bit the other can get help

Protect!

1. If bit, stay calm to reduce heart rate
2. Do not attempt to suck the venom out, instead layer up to keep body temperate level
3. Call for help, or if you have no service and you're alone walk slowly back to the beginning of the trail for help

My name is Katie Littlefield and I created a blog post for my final project in WR121. I chose blog post for my genre because in my photojournalism class we make multiple blog posts a week. The beauty of blog posts is that there’s a lot of freedom and creative room for you to create whatever you like. For my blog post I used my narrative essay on wild animal attacks and decided to share the information included in that essay a little differently. I wanted my information to come across simpler and easier to digest. So in order to achieve that I split up my information into two parts; first prepare and then protect.

For prepare I included four bullet points on how to avoid a vicious attack from one of the three animals I discuss; cougars, black bears, and rattlesnakes. These could be steps taken if you spot the animal in the distance, keeping the campsite clean to avoid hungry bears, or making sure to bring the right gear when going hiking in the high deserts. The three bullet points for protect include what to do when a wild animal does decide to pounce on you. I kept it to three points to hit the most important ones. I didn’t want to give too much information because if you’re being attacked by a wild animal you probably aren’t going to remember a bunch of steps on what to do. You’ll be lucky if you can remember at least one, so I only included points that will be very helpful for you if you remember them.

I want the reader to be able to retain this information for the future. This blog post is a catchy and simple way of spreading these helpful tips. Prepare and protect if you plan on going out in the woods or to eastern Oregon for a day hike.