Anything deadly in Europe??

[Tong]

Hi all,

I was putting together a small first aid kit today when someone commented about deadly animals and how I plan to tackle the problems they bring up.

I have now done a little bit of research and the only things I can find that are "deadly" in Europe are a couple of spiders which rarely cause fatalities.

Does any one else know of any animal I should be aware of when wild camping in Europe??


Pete

 

[gregorach]

Depends where in Europe - there are places that still have bears. Not that there's much you can put in a FAK to deal with them...

 

[Bernie Garland]

The good old Adder.

Berenie

 

[sam_acw]

Bears, Boar, Bison, Moose, Adder - they can all be dangerous but I don't think there's a lot you can do about it. A bushcraft FAK ought have some kind f wound dressing so that would help somewhat.
You'd be incredibly unlucky to have any problem with this though

 

[Tong]

i dont really class Boar, Bison, and moose etc a major problem because you can see them far enough in advance to avoid them.

bears i didnt think about :s any tips on not attracting them??

i will be be traveling around the coast of france into spain and then there is no "real plan" after that exept to avoid the big deadly animals!!

 

[Tong]

i was planning a good supply of deet based insect repelant to take care of the mosquitoes and ticks.

french people will be swiftly dispatched with my english - french dictionary!

 

[jojo]

6- last but not least ........French people then , of course, there are the Spaniards!

Well, all you need to do there is to say "bonjour" preferably politely, not behave like the hundreds of uncouth british tourists that invade the place, behave like they own the place and get drunk and urinate all over the place, don't use the French roads like a race track and you'll be welcomed!!! Same in Spain, I am sure

Otherwise, nothing too dangerous along the coast!

 

[Staghound]

Not exactly a "deadly" animal but if you're allergic then the reaction to the stings of bees, wasps etc. can be fatal. A friend of mine always used to carry an epipen (adrenaline syringe) to counter anaphylactic shock.

 

[sandbender]

i was planning a good supply of deet based insect repelant to take care of the mosquitoes and ticks.

Ticks are quite a serious worry, I live in a country where boars occasionally attack people and next door to a country where bears have been known to eat people, I spend a lot of time outdoors and I'm more worried about ticks than I am about the larger fauna.

I think you mentioned that you were traveling with a partner, if that is the case you should take time to check each other for ticks at the end of every day, long trousers or not the little blighters will find a way to get at you

I contracted Lyme disease back in the nineties, not immediately life threatening but no fun either, as it happened I had some Tetracycline which seemed to relieve the symptoms, once I'd made it back to the UK I was told that this was the antibiotic of choice, that may not be the case these days so check with your GP or travel clinic.

Additionally I wouldn't rely on being able to quickly locate a doctor or clinic in either France or Spain, some clinics are only open for certain days of the week or the doctor may on a fishing trip or similar

The incidence of Tick-born Encephalitis is on the increase across Europe and that can kill you!

http://www.who.int/immunization/topics/tick_encephalitis/en/index.html

http://www.who.int/topics/lyme_disease/en/

 

[Surrey Yeoman]

Adder, common viper, Vipera berus

Adders are the most northerly distributed snake - they are the only species found inside the Arctic circle. They are also Britain's only venomous reptile.

Subspecies
There are four subspecies. Vipera berus berus has the greatest range and is the subspecies found in Britain.

Statistics
Length: 50-65cm. Females are larger than the males.

Physical Description
Adders are relatively short and robust with large heads and a rounded snout. The red-brown eyes have vertical elliptical, rather then round, pupils - a feature of all venomous snakes. Males are usually a grey or buff colour with vivid black markings, although they can also vary from silver to yellow or green in colour. Females are brown with dark red-brown markings that are less prominent than in the males. Both sexes have a zigzag pattern running along the back with a / or X-shaped marking at the rear of the head, although this zigzag pattern may be replaced by a straight brown stripe with dark spots on either side. Adders have black undersides. Melanistic (black) individuals sometimes occur in mountainous regions.

Distribution
Adders are widespread throughout mainland Britain, but are absent from Ireland. They occur throughout Europe, with the exception of the Mediterranean islands, and across Russia and Asia through to N. China. They are one of the most widespread species of snake.

Habitat
Adders occupy a variety of habitats, including open woodland, hedgerows, moorland, sand dunes, riverbanks, bogs, heathland and mountains. They prefer undisturbed countryside and can be found in surprisingly wet habitats throughout the summer months.

Diet
Adders use venom to immobilise prey such as lizards, amphibians, nestlings and small mammals. After striking their prey, they will leave the venom to take effect before following the victim’s scent to find the body. This is an economical way of hunting, avoiding any damage that could be caused by struggling with prey.

Behaviour
Adders are active during the day, spending time basking until their body temperature is high enough to hunt for food. In some of the hotter countries of their range, they may emerge at dawn and dusk to avoid the intense heat. Mating takes place between April and May, with males often fighting for females. They rear up at each other and try to push the head of their opponent onto the ground. Eventually, one male will give up and search for another mate. Adders hibernate from September to March when temperatures dip below nine degrees Celsius, often using deserted rabbit or rodent burrows, or settling under logs. They sometimes hibernate communally. Males emerge 2-5 weeks before the females and shed their skin before setting off in search of females.

Reproduction
Males follow the females around until she allows them to copulate with her. This takes place in April-May. Adders have a 3 to 4 month gestation period and are one of the few snakes that are viviparous (give birth to live young). In late August females give birth to between 5 and 20 live young, although usually the number is between 6 and 10. The young remain close to their mother for a few days, before going off in search of food. Females do not breed on consecutive years, as they do not have time to build up sufficient fat reserves to produce another set of young from one breeding season to the next.

Conservation status
Adders are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from being killed, injured or sold.

Notes
Adders are not aggressive snakes, and will only attack if harassed or threatened. Although an adder’s venom poses little danger to a healthy adult human, the bite is very painful and requires urgent medical attention.

Generally speaking Adders will sense you coming long before you get near them and will slide off into the undergrowth. If it's cold, they might be a bit dopey, but unless it feels threatened by you - or maybe you step on it - the adder will leave you alone.

 

[Tong]

After a quick blast on the net I have found a good way of deterring ticks is Permethrin-based products , has any one had any experience with such products??

I will be traveling with a partner for some times but he has now had to change his plans, so there will be times when I will be going solo. will have to tick test myself :s

And thanks for the adder info, hopefully I wont see any!

Also I will be trying to set a good example of brit behavior, I only have 2 planned nights out when my brothers are meeting me, also I am hoping to spend as much time as possible actually living the local life and learning the languages. I can go out and get drunk and rowdy when I get home, there’s no point wasting the trip of a lifetime if I cant remember half of it!!

 

[alpha_centaur]

Depends where in Europe - there are places that still have bears. Not that there's much you can put in a FAK to deal with them...

Course there is :AR15firin

Anybody know what bear tastes like???

 

[firecrest]

feral dogs are a problem in poor regions.

 

[Twoflower]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Processionary This little beauty is something to watch out for down that way. It's also starting to appear in the UK

When I was out in Spain I got a single hair from one of these on my hand and it became very swollen and sore

 

[ANDYRAF]

After a quick blast on the net I have found a good way of deterring ticks is Permethrin-based products , has any one had any experience with such products??

Permetherin is used in woodworm treatment usually in conjunction with other chemicals. The warnings on the containers is always quite scary so I'd be careful about its use on exposed skin.

 

[Wallenstein]

If you are by the coast there is a slim chance you might encounter a poisonous jellyfish.

Unlikely to kill a healthy adult, but can cause anaphalytic shock.

I guess also you could be sneezed on by a duck and contract bird flu

 

[susi]

Ticks are quite a serious worry, I live in a country where boars occasionally attack people and next door to a country where bears have been known to eat people, I spend a lot of time outdoors and I'm more worried about ticks than I am about the larger fauna.

Can I echo this. We have bears in my locality and I'm more concerned about ticks (but that doesn't stop my heart missing beats when I hear a large animal moving in the forest, but there are many more moose than bears)

Should you find a tick attached to you, removing it in the correct way is very important. The old removal advice used to involve either a hot cigarette end or the rubbing in of olive oil. However modern research has shown that these methods actually cause a great deal of upset and distress to the tick, often causing it to expel the contents of its stomach, straight into you, thus greatly increasing the chance of infection....

The correct method is to use fine tweezers to firmly grasp the head and pull it out in one, swift movement.


But back to bears, as it's a sexier subject and for some, rather more exciting. I remember in 2006, a lady jogger was out running in the forest near here, suddenly she found herself knocked to the ground, with a bear happily chewing on her leg. She only managed to escape by repeatedly kicking the bear in the face with her other foot. (that's Finnish "Sisu" for you Doc )

If you put this page into the Google translator (Finnish to English), you can read all about it:

http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Nainen+potkaisi+purevaa+karhua+Hankasalmella/1135219992767

But in all truth, bears see you much more often than you see them


Tong asked how to discourage bears:

- Keep your eyes open
- If you see one, don't run, move slowly back in the direction you came
- Don't run (a bear can easily out sprint Linford Christie)
- Don't leave food around you camp, clean cooking pots, bury leftovers well away from your camp
- A wounded bear is more angry than an unwounded one. Don't try to kill it unless you have a suitable weapon to kill it outright.

 

[Tong]

If you put this page into the Google translator (Finnish to English), you can read all about it:

http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Nainen+potkaisi+purevaa+karhua+Hankasalmella/1135219992767

I think google has issues witht the finnish - english translator, this is a small extract of what it said.

Moose puri country over spilled 21-year old women in the thigh and calves. Pennun with the move had left the parent's seat, a woman's potkaistua it kuonoon at large.



thanks for all the advice i have recieved already,

you guys are very helpful on this forum

 

[crazydave]

rabies is still a european problem as are many other diseases we manage just to keep off the shores.

the eurowasp is three times the size and packs a painfull sting, more hornets, bees are the same more or less but the ants are bigger.

make two kits one with meds in a snapseal bag with creams and plasters in and one in a pocket pack of some description with 1 wound dressing, several melonin type dressings, plasters, steristrips, superglue, condoms etc.. add painkillers, bum blockers and antihistamine if you carry one then treat it as a buddy to your survival kit swapping bits about.

In my back pocket i carry a plastic bag with painkillers, rubber gloves and plasters. a pocket kit for minor stuff and the more serious stuff lives in my pack.

I'd ask the doc for some prescription painkillers like codeine, pentazocine, temgesic and a course of amoxillin or distaquaine antibiotics for general infections which turn nasty.

tea tree oil or iodine for antiseptic use in your pocket kit and a tube of savlon for your pack, a small tin of vasolene has many uses including persuading a stubborn tick to come loose.

sutures are a personal choice but at a push if steristrips and superglue fail to hold a cut together you can sew it or use safety pins

 

[oilyrag]

Army investigates tick attack

The Swiss army is launching an investigation into an incident last week which saw 70 soldiers bitten by ticks. The recruits were taking part in exercises in woods near Zurich when they came under attack. Three of the soldiers started to develop what may have been the early symptoms of Lyme disease. They were treated with antibiotics and seem to be recovering. Following the deaths of five soldiers in an accident on the River Kander in June, the head of the army said recruits should not be put at risk during exercises.

Also Buthus occitanus and Mesobuthus gibbosus are Scorpions classed as potentially dangerous and found in southern Europe.

European Black Widow, Yellow Sack and Violin spiders are also nasty nippers found in Europe. I think the European Black Widow has been found on the South Coast of the UK (New Forest and Gosport)