{GUESTBLOG} Australia, the country of the Crocodile hunter, the country of deathly spiders and poisonous snakes. The country where people get eaten alive by sharks or get attacked by dingo’s. But what are the most dangerous animals in Australia, for us people? Where should we be scared of and what should we do when we run into one of these animals?
I ask Jeremy, ranger at The Billabong Sanctuary in Townsville Queensland.
Which animals are our biggest enemy’s in Australia?
‘’People’’ is Jeremy’s anser. ‘’People?’’ I’m a bit confused. ‘’Yes, people’’ he continues. ‘’People are the most dangerous species to ourselves. After that, horses are really dangerous too’’ he says convincing. Jeremy explains me that many people who visit Australia, are scared of dangerous and deathly wildlife. But in fact, there are more deathly accidents with people falling off a horse, then with people getting attacked by wildlife.
Okay, I get the message, but I want to hear stories about creepy animals. Luckily, he can help me with that as well. Thank god, there are not that many accidents with creepy creatures, but I will let you know how you come prepared if you are planning to visit Australia. So that when you see one of these animals, you know exactly what to do.
It’s hard to choose which animal is the most dangerous. Some animals are very deathly, but the chances of seeing them are really rear. But the animals I’m going to name, you definitely don’t want to see when you are going for a hike.
The crocodile. One of the most feared animals in Australia. There is a good reason for that. Every year there are people getting attacked by one. I asked Jeremy if it are mostly tourist who get attacked he answers ‘’No, tourist are way too scared to come close to croccs. It are the local people who get to confident. But a cross doesn’t give a warning before he strikes’’. The part ‘way too scared’ definitely suits me.
It has to be said that not all the crocodiles are dangerous to people. There are freshwater croccs and saltwater croccs, called salties. The salties are the ones dangerous to people. Don’t expect that they are only be found in salt water. They can be anywhere, in salt and fresh water, like rivers and billabongs (mostly northern part of Australia).
What should you do when you see one?
Most important part. Crocodiles are water animals. If they attack, they will do it from the water. So when you know it’s a territory where croccs can be found (believe me, you know! You will find signs everywhere) you keep away from the water. Crocodiles are lazy, they can cope without food for months, so they will only attack when you are an easy target. If you keep away from the water edge for about five meter, you should be fine! If you are such a lucky bastard that the crocc is really hungry and not so lazy anymore, well I will wish you luck. There are not many people who can tell that they are attacked by a crocc. They roll you over and that was it.
The snake. On my facebookpage I told you before that I almost walked over a really deathly snake. It was at the West Macdonnel ranges. I was terrified! There are a lot of really poisonous snakes in Australia, who can even be deathly for people. But luckily not all the snakes that are deathly, are living close to people.
De most dangerous snake to people, is the eastern brown snake (that’s the one I tripped over). This one does live close to people. It’s in the name, he is mostly found at the east coast. The snake is very big and poisonous. But the good thing is, they don’t see people as there enemy. That’s the reason why they won’t attack you unless they feel threatened. They rather use their poison for a real treat, that they swallow in once.
So what to do when you see one?
First of all, don’t do anything that I did: ‘scream, run and go wild’. To start with, wear a long and loose pants, steady footwear and take a piece of bandage with you ( explain later). Besides that, never go on a hike on your own, when you know there are not a lot of people around and there are snakes in the area. If you want to go alone, always carry a satellite phone.
If you do see a snake, don’t move. Just stand still and wait for what the snake is doing. Mostly they want to hide, so if you let them go, nothing will happen. If the snake is moving away, you can slowly move backwards and wait until he is away. Does it look like the snake wants to attack you (he lies in an s-shape, with his body flat and his had up high) then it’s smart to run as fast as you can.
When you are not fast enough and the snake strikes, then it’s import to stand still. Keep your whole body as still as possible, because the poison will move to your body quicker when you move or when it feels adrenaline. Take the bandage and bring it on just above the place where he attacked you. After that, I hope somebody can get some help and maybe you get picked up by the flying doctors. Luckily all the different snake bites are be treated the same. So you don’t have to remember what the snake looked like.
The spider. I’m not talking about just a spider. I mean a really creepy one. There are a lot of poisonous spiders in Australia, but the Sydney funnel-web spider is the most dangerous one for people and even deathly. This spider lives in the Sydney area. His favorite places are cool and moist places, like trees or underneath rocks. He will attack his enemy by sliding down from above. Insects and small animals like frogs, are his favorite treat. But a bite of this spider can also be deathly for humans and extremely dangerous for children. Years ago a little kid got bitten and died within fifteen minutes.
What should you do when you see one?
The changes of getting attacked by this spider are rear. But if you see one, don’t go sleeping with this creature in your room. So when you see one in or around your house, you should remove them. It’s very likely that the council can help you with that. They use the spider as well, to make new medicines to treat this spider bite. That means that there is a way to treat a bite. Go to the hospital as soon as possible. Since there are medicines to treat a bite, nobody got killed anymore.
Sure, there are way more creepy animals in Australia. But, as I said, they aren’t all dangerous to people. Off course you don’t swim in the sea when there is a shark warning and you don’t cuddle with dingo’s. As Jeremy said ‘’Just use your common sense’’. Hopefully my common sense still works when I see a deathly animal. Oh and off course, also be careful with horses.
Enjoy the beautiful country of Australia, because it has much more to offer then only deathly creatures! Want to see or know more about Australia? Just visit my blog (in Dutch) and if you have any questions, just let me know!
Cheers, Jantien
About Jantien from Jantiens ReisStijl.com
Hi, I’m Jantien (27) and I really love traveling and writing. So I decided to treat myself and start a blog. Since nine months I’m traveling, working and blogging in Australia and about Australia and all the other countries that I visited before (South East Asia, (South) Amerika, South Africa and a few places in Europe)
Besides traveling, I also write about lifestyle, sport, charity, beauty and anything that I love doing. Do you want to know more about me? Have a look at my blog, Facebook, Instagram, twitter and Linkedin
Hope to hear from you soon!
Xx Jantien
