Safety library

SAFETY LIBRARY
Know your beasts

ATTACK OR IMMEDIATE DANGER

Call your local emergency number.
Finding the numbers for where you are…
A lens, not a range.
REPTILES
banks, canals, golf ponds
LARGE MAMMALS
trails, campsites, roadsides
CATS AND CANIDS
yards, trails, livestock
AFRICA
safari country, riverbanks, villages
ASIA PACIFIC
jungle edges, bush, tropical water
WATER
surf, inlets, rivers, reefs
NORTHERN MAMMALS
backcountry, cabins, trapline
SMALL AND VENOMOUS
garages, woodpiles, boots
Before you go
The rules that do not depend on the animal.
General safety and first aid information from the organisations named, not medical advice. Anything with no named source says so. It can be out of date or differ where you are. In an emergency, call your local emergency number first.
6 rules for every trail
Give wild animals room: the US National Park Service says that, in general, if animals react to your presence, you are too close.
Source:
US National Park Service
Never feed wildlife, because the US National Park Service says animals that learn people are a source of food can become aggressive toward people.
Source:
US National Park Service
Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge where alligators live, because Florida’s wildlife agency (FWC) says pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey.
Source:
Florida FWC
Where crocodiles live, keep out of the water and stay at least 5 metres from its edge, because the Queensland Government says no waterway in their range can be considered crocodile free. In alligator country, swim only in designated areas in daylight, as Florida’s FWC advises.
Source:
Queensland Government ·
Florida FWC
Hike in a group in bear and mountain lion country so you do not surprise one: the US National Park Service says groups are noisier than one person, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises making noise.
Source:
US National Park Service ·
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Never try to catch or move a dangerous animal at your home yourself; call the wildlife authority listed below, as South Carolina’s DNR advises for alligators.
Source:
South Carolina DNR
Alligator country, state by state
Gator seasons, by state.
Florida
Florida’s wildlife agency (FWC) says alligators are found in all 67 of the state’s counties. It advises keeping your distance, never feeding one, swimming only in designated areas during daylight and keeping pets on a leash away from the water. If you have a concern about an alligator, the FWC asks you to call its Nuisance Alligator Hotline, 866-392-4286.
Source:
Florida FWC
Conservation corner
A comeback story
The American alligator was nearly hunted out and listed as endangered in 1967. Protection worked: it was fully recovered by 1987 and there are now over five million wild gators. It remains one of the great conservation wins in US history.
Keystone of the wetland
Gators dig "gator holes" that hold water through droughts, keeping fish, turtles, birds, and mammals alive in dry season. Healthy gator populations mean healthy wetlands.
How you can help
Never feed or harass gators, keep your distance from nests, dispose of fishing line properly (it kills gators slowly), and report poaching to your state wildlife agency. Respect on the water is good for people and gators alike.

Every number

Finding the numbers for where you are…
BeastWatch is not an emergency service and does not contact anyone for you.
General safety and first aid information from the organisations named, not medical advice. Anything with no named source says so. It can be out of date or differ where you are. In an emergency, call your local emergency number first.
BeastWatch is not an emergency service and does not contact anyone for you.
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