It has been a while since most of us have stepped foot in nature to enjoy the luscious greenery of a forest, the clean and familiar fragrances of flowers, or the crisp noises of dirt and leaves that crinkle beneath our feet when we tread the route towards the hilltop. Some of us are probably crossing our fingers hoping the lockdown will come to an end soon, as the cases are slowly declining, and maybe even already making plans for a hike. But I bet you haven’t thought about the wildlife in Nepal lurking in those areas.
We must also be aware that those hiking routes, as safe as they might have been before, may not be as safe during the earlier stages after the lockdown eases or ends in Nepal. This is due to the fact that the wild animals around those areas might be out on the prowl more often than they used to when things were normal since people aren’t frequenting those areas during the lockdown. So, it won’t hurt if we are to be a bit more careful than usual when we are out there among those fearful wildlife of Nepal. Below are some tips that might help us fellow Nepalese to make it out alive to tell the tale.
noise is good.
We must remember that we are as much of a stranger to the wildlife of Nepal as they are to us. Most of them want to avoid us as well. So making sure that your presence is known while you are walking is important to make sure that you don’t cross paths with a creature that wasn’t expecting it as well. So making plenty of noise by talking, singing or playing music is a good way to avoid such encounters.
Travel in packs.
Not only will you seem more intimidating in groups to the animal, but it will also help you create more noise inadvertently without trying. Tell your friends to not worry about drawing the attention of a predator if they speak loudly. Stick together throughout your hiking journey and maybe even wear steel toe boots to assert your dominance by fiercely clanking them as you hike.
Ditch the headphones.
Even though we speak louder than necessary while wearing headphones, it is not advised to wear them during a hike as the costs are deadlier than the benefits. Not only will you not sense any peculiar noises from your surroundings, but your friends might also even leave you to yourself for ignoring their company. So don’t wear headphones and let the leopard know what tune you’re bumping to.
Have eyes on the back of your head (Literally).
This is probably one of the weirdest pieces of advice but also one of the most proven ones. Tigers in the Ganges Delta in India had been killing about 60 people a year. The people there then started wearing face masks on the backs of their heads to deter the animal from attacking from behind. And it worked like a charm. It was reported that no one wearing a mask was killed for the past three years from when the experiment was conducted. By contrast, 29 people, who thought the idea was too silly, were stalked and killed by the predator in the last 18 months during that time. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as many animals in the wild have evolved mimicking the technique to avoid predators.
So maybe next time you are packing for a hike, in which you might encounter some wildlife of Nepal, put on some extra sunglasses that you can wear behind your head. Or maybe paste some big stickers of wary eyes on your backpack to weird your friends out along with the animal.
Be VERY SCARED if you see a cute cub.
Don’t go running towards a cute little cub hoping to pet it and get some cool pictures of your hiking experience. You might get photobombed by its scary mother. The only thing worse than encountering a wildlife predator in Nepal is encountering one with its babies. Make sure you don’t come in between the mother and the cub and pray that she doesn’t see you as a threat.
Back away slowly.
You probably know by now that turning your back to a stalking predator is only going to make you seem like its prey. So the trick is to keep facing the animal while you slowly walk backward. Talking slowly to the animal will also help you to seem like less of a threat to the animal itself. This video of a man who encountered a Mountain lion during his hike has demonstrated this technique fairly well. You can see that the guy didn’t know to react quickly after he saw the cub which led him to perhaps the longest 6 minutes of his life.
Carry pepper spray and use it wisely.
This is your last line of defense if nothing else works. The animal needs to be extremely close to you in order for you to use this effectively. You need to keep the wind direction in mind as the wind might blow the spray back to you if you spray against it. The smell of pepper sprays is strong so make sure you leave the area as soon as possible after using it, as the smell might lure some curious animals. It’s tough to get your hands on one in Nepal but not impossible. You can find a few sellers online in places like Hamrobazaar or Facebook if you want to purchase one.
If none of the above techniques work and you encounter an animal that is just very hungry and you look very appetizing then your only option is to roll back your sleeves and prepare to get nasty. Punch it on the nose, poke its eyes, or kick it on its groin. Just don’t run from it because you will only make it hungrier. Happy Hiking!