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Original poster

Have you ever had a run in with a dangerous wild animal?

358 replies

AbsentmindedWoman · 17/05/2021 18:18

I'm sipping my coffee and dreaming about going camping in the wilderness. Somewhere really remote. It would be awe inspiring, but also in reality I'd be too scared of getting lost or being eaten by some of the local wildlife so will probably never actually do it.

Has anyone been wilderness camping or similar? Did you have any narrow squeaks with snakes/ jaguars/ crocodiles?

OP posts:
IsThisSilly · 17/05/2021 21:44

Oh -

Not WILD, but I was bitten on the arse by a horse in Krakow once.

Walked past eating an ice cream. It lunged for the ice cream, missed, and bit my arse instead.

My entire buttock was black.

As a child I was also bitten by a cow and knocked over and lightly trampled by a herd of small breed pigs, so perhaps just unlucky with domestic animals.

There might be a lesson in that, as far as this thread goes.

KurtWilde · 17/05/2021 21:47

Not wild per say but I was chased by a bull once as a kid, that was a scary experience! Threw myself over a wall that was low on the side I was on but (unbeknownst to me) had a very steep slope on the other side, landed funny rolled down, scuffed up quite badly and broke my big toe. But at least the bull didn't get me Confused

AnUnoriginalUsername · 17/05/2021 21:48

Worst experience ever was ticks. Scottish Island, swarming with the buggers.

Nearly stood on an adder once.

That's all, stayed in tents in Tanzania and had no trouble at all. Hyenas were roaming about but stayed on the boundary of our site.

Swam past a reef shark in Maldives, it couldn't care less about my existence.

madamehooch · 17/05/2021 21:50

A New Forest pony. Mugged me for a packet of Wotsits.

MarieIVanArkleStinks · 17/05/2021 21:51

Florida Keys about 20 years ago, took a boat trip with a friend out to the vicinity of Monkey Island. This was the one where research monkeys (Rhesus ones, native to Asia) had been set loose, not the more popular tourist destination.

The friend didn't take the boat all that close and I saw why when a large gaggle of them appeared on the coastline and stood up (they looked huge) in a threatening posture. The fuckers then started coming after the boat. We didn't stick around.

I have no idea whether they're still there, but there was talk of action as they were eating away all the mangroves.

I lived in Maine for a time (coastal region). The interior has some quite intimidating wildlife, although we didn't get up there much. I was warned the trick is to make a noise and the bears will hear it and keep away. But I'm glad that I never encountered a moose.

A thing I really do miss about the wildlife there is the call of the great northern diver (common loon).

Wasps are still my most feared nemesis.

EpicDay · 17/05/2021 21:51

Met a cassowary in Northern Queensland once. Being from Essex had no idea how dangerous they could be until after the event. Which was a good thing really as it appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to peer at my then 5 year old DS. I would have freaked out if I’d known what it was at the time.

Justilou1 · 17/05/2021 21:52

I live in Oz. I had one of these squeeze through the air vents in my car while I was zooming down a motorway. I pulled over pretty damn quick and was lucky that I didn’t kill anyone with my driving! They’re not dangerous to humans, but I didn’t even know that they existed up until this point! (I was rescued by road workers, btw)

Have you ever had a run in with a dangerous wild animal?
gurglebelly · 17/05/2021 21:53

@lostinthejungle22

I'll wait until tomorrow to google vinegaroon, I need my sleep tonight
Just don't....
PandemicPalava · 17/05/2021 21:55

I got attacked by a Dartmoor pony last week. It didn't get me but chased me, squashed me against a fence and stomped at me before heading off. Thank goodness the dog was calm and quiet!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 17/05/2021 21:57

Another rabid racoon one - my OH this time, who was chased by one in the US. Luckily there were some fallen tree branches around, so I ran along too, laid into it and broke its leg (felt awful, but it wouldn't have lived much longer anyway)

Same OH was bitten twice by scorpions (this time in Texas), had a tarantula scuttle over his foot in the garden (Arizona) and nearly sat on a fortunately harmless snake (South Carolina)

It all seemed to happen to him - the worst I've had was a nasty bite from a squirrel which I was hand feeding. Rather unfair of the ungrateful little sod; one moment I was cooing over its squirrelly little paws holding my finger, and the next "YOOOOWWWWW!!!"

NorthernTights · 17/05/2021 21:59

We were with friends on holiday in France visiting a wildlife park. Went into one of the encounter type enclosures where you can see the animals up close with no fences. Big pile of cute fluffy lemurs, all asleep together looking adorable. We stand to get a few pics and generally coo at them when one opens it’s eyes and starts hooting.
Then the ones in the fur pile all wake up and start hooting and screaming and then all the other lemurs in the enclose take it up and are looking right at us and shrieking banshee howls, possibly the loudest thing I’ve ever heard.
We all legged it out, my poor friend clattering her five year old in the buggy and her hubby racing away from those evil fluff balls with the newborn! Once we were out the noise stopped as if it has never happened we all wondered afterwards if we’d dreamt it!

Iamaperwinkle · 17/05/2021 22:02

I had a run in with a huge shark whilst diving about 15 years ago. We were down pretty deep (for us) and I started having a nose bleed. I noticed my dive buddy signalling frantically at me to get my dive knife out -thinking she wanted it -I did and got it in my hand-and just then a bloody great big shark swam in between the two of us -apparently it was swimming up quickly behind me so I couldn't see it but she could-I did nearly wet myself in my dive suit -and I didn't know to thump it or use a knife and literally did think 'fuck I'm shark food I won't survive this thing'-and I went for eye contact. It nosed me very gently and they gently slipped away. It was surreal. I went straight for the surface and got on the boat pronto. It was a GWS - although a 'small'one about 3m long. I would NOT want to repeat the experience -EVER.

BakewellGin1 · 17/05/2021 22:02

Lizards (huge ones) living on our holiday balcony in Mexico...

A crocodile on the golf course and a snake in the bar... All same resort but we loved it

happylittlevegemites · 17/05/2021 22:02

I cycled over a (very) deadly snake. It slithered across the road and I had no time to stop or turn, so all I could think to do was lift my legs up!! It was the middle of no-where, too.

babbaloushka · 17/05/2021 22:04

I once got jumped over by a deer whilst in a ditch playing hide and seek. Was so excited I gave myself away.

Longdistance · 17/05/2021 22:08

We’d first moved over to Oz and sil leant us a Hyundai Getz. We were driving back in the dark and we got a bit lost as there were no street lights. I decided to put the beam lights on and had to brake suddenly as a huge kangaroo appeared. I think it was as surprised as we were.

Lalliebelle · 17/05/2021 22:09

@amusedbush

Looks like I got off lightly by being knocked over by a goat when I was a toddler Grin

I’ve googled some of these beastly creatures and I’m itchy all over. I also didn’t know a boomslang was a real thing; boomslang skin is a potions ingredient in Harry Potter and I’ve been assuming it was made up for the past 20 years Blush

I also googled boomslang with Potions class in mind!

Nothing worse than a herd of cows running at me in a field, thankfully. Got a nasty bite off a big ant in India.

endofthelinefinally · 17/05/2021 22:09

Not me, but the lady at the next table having breakfast in a holiday resort. A monkey leapt onto her table and stole her food. She was screaming and the staff were all laughing. Apparently it happened frequently.

FedUpAtHomeTroels · 17/05/2021 22:10

This will out me to anyone who knows me LOL.
Where we lived the mail box was across the road, no house had been built there at the time, box was under a big oak tree, nice and shady.
I was carrying 3 month old son. Got to the box and sneezed. A bobcat jumped up out of the long grass, he was as startled as me, we made eye contact and then he ran the other way. He must have been asleep.
I've met a few rattlesnakes too. Dh is good with a shovel.
Glad I never met any mountain lions, although some of the neighbours did.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 17/05/2021 22:11

A crocodile on the golf course (in Mexico)

In Florida it's alligators; local friends love taking Brits for a round and watching them shriek and run at the sight of gators who actually aren't interested in them at all Grin

Not always so harmless though - another local was involved in some grassland clearance thing and foolishly also tried to clear some water reeds without looking properly first
Cost her an arm ...

Littlegoth · 17/05/2021 22:13

Can I count Canada Geese on the Manchester waterway?

Whammyyammy · 17/05/2021 22:14

Years ago my husband landed in Labrador, Canada with work. He was having a cigarette on the grass next to taxy way and a bear came running out of the woods! Him and his mate ran to the aircraft and radio'd for help.

mahguy · 17/05/2021 22:21

@Iamaperwinkle I think i would die from a heart attack!

mahguy · 17/05/2021 22:23

@Justilou1 😱

TroysMammy · 17/05/2021 22:29

@LyndaMcLynda my DP was in school that day and said it was a cheese sandwich.