Surviving Attacks

As the line between human and wild animal habitat becomes more and more blurred, the frequency with which dangerous confrontations occur is likely to increase. With a greater number of people recreating in the great outdoors and new subdivisions being developed in land once claimed by wild predators, the likelihood of an unnerving encounter is very real. Current news reports are filled with stories of wild animal attacks, and the number just seems to keep increasing. Short of becoming a hermit and staying indoors, there is no sure way to avoid such a confrontation but steps can be taken to ensure that the odds are in your favor should you find yourself face to face with a wild animal.

First of all, most wild animals do not consider human beings prey and thus are not likely to attack unless they feel threatened or otherwise provoked in some manner. It would be wise indeed to try to avoid any such unfriendly meetings in the first place by staying out of prime bear territory, avoiding areas where known mountain lion attacks have been known to occur, reporting aggressive dogs to the proper authorities before they can do any harm, and basically remaining vigilant and aware of your surroundings. If an encounter cannot be avoided, then quick rational thinking and strategies for survival must be employed.

How to Survive a Bear Attack

Although greatly feared, bear attacks are actually quite uncommon. Bears generally seek to avoid humans, except to steal food, and thus the likelihood of a bear encounter is not all that great. First of all a distinction should be made between the grizzly bear and the less aggressive black bear. Grizzly attacks are both more ferocious and more common than black bear attacks. However, confrontations with all bears should be avoided at all costs. If you spot a bear, do not hang around and watch it. Chances are it will continue to go about its business and leave you alone. Increase your distance from the bear as quickly as possible without seeming obvious. Do not try to outrun the bear because the bear can and will run faster as it decides you have designated yourself potential prey. If the bear begins to follow you, separate yourself from any food items you may be carrying, and continue to walk quickly away. If the bear is clearly disinterested in the discarded food and continues to follow you, turn around and face the bear and place your hands out to your side or above your head to make yourself appear larger and more threatening. If there is more than one person present, all members of the party should do the same in an effort to scare the bear. This is generally sufficient enough to make the curious bear leave, but if it doesn’t; and it becomes apparent that the bear has considered you a potential threat, then desperate measures call for desperate strategies. If the bear begins to run at you, lay down on the ground, cover your head and face with your hands, and play dead. The bear may sniff and paw at you and perhaps even roll your body on the ground, but as humans are not exactly appealing to a bear’s fish and berry diet, they are not likely to eat you. At worst, you may end up with a few bumps and bruises or a broken bone. On the other hand, if you fight back aggressively, the bear will follow its natural instinct to fight back and will probably win. Only physically fight a bear if you have exhausted every other option available and the bear is intent on having you for its next meal. Other means of escape include tall trees (though the bear may wait at the base of the tree indefinitely for you to come down) or a swift stream that you can outswim the bear in.

How to Survive a Mountain Lion Attack

Mountain lion attacks have been making the news headlines with increasing frequency lately. Not just children but a number of persons including hikers, cyclists, and even runners have been the victims of their vicious attacks. Unlike bears, most of the latest mountain lion attacks seem unprovoked, and may be a reaction to the recent encroachment of human development in their natural habitat. Whatever the cause, protecting yourself against a mountain lion attack is of paramount concern, especially in certain areas in the West. If you find yourself the unfortunate victim of a mountain lion attack, fight back aggressively. Use every weapon in your personal arsenal to defend yourself. Sticks, clubs, large rocks, mace, pepper spray, and weapons all need to be employed against a mountain lion attack. It is important that you try to remain standing as you fend off the wild animal to protect your face, neck, and head, and to have better leverage over the animal. Also, scream for help if you are in a residential environment or an area where there are likely to be more people. Once an attack begins, nothing short of killing or grossly injuring this animal is likely to stop it. Mountain lions do consider human beings potential sources of food and will generally prey upon smaller, less defensive humans.

How to Survive an Attack by an Aggressive Dog

Again, avoidance is the surest way to ensure that an attack by an aggressive dog doesn’t occur, but if an attack cannot be avoided, quick thinking and aggressive measures must be implemented. If an aggressive dog confronts you, use a calm voice to let the animal know that you are not interested in a fight. Keep your body turned towards the dog and talk to him while slowly backing away. Remain tall and erect, and if at possible try to make your body appear bigger than it really is. As you are walking away, try to locate a stick to use as a possible weapon should the animal decide to attack. If the dog does lunge at you, remain standing while kicking the animal in the face. Your legs are better suited for defense as they are generally stronger than one’s arms. If you have a stick, deliver full, forceful blows to the animal’s face and ribs in an effort to weaken him. If there is a possibility for you to move to higher ground such as on a car, a raised platform, or a tree, then do so. Any leverage you have on the wild dog will work to your advantage and hopefully result in fewer injuries and an increased chance of survival.

As the line between human and wild animal habitat becomes more and more blurred, the frequency with which dangerous confrontations occur is likely to increase. With a greater number of people recreating in the great outdoors and new subdivisions being developed in land once claimed by wild predators, the likelihood of an unnerving encounter is very real. Current news reports are filled with stories of wild animal attacks, and the number just seems to keep increasing. Short of becoming a hermit and staying indoors, there is no sure way to avoid such a confrontation but steps can be taken to ensure that the odds are in your favor should you find yourself face to face with a wild animal.First of all, most wild animals do not consider human beings prey and thus are not likely to attack unless they feel threatened or otherwise provoked in some manner. It would be wise indeed to try to avoid any such unfriendly meetings in the first place by staying out of prime bear territory, avoiding areas where known mountain lion attacks have been known to occur, reporting aggressive dogs to the proper authorities before they can do any harm, and basically remaining vigilant and aware of your surroundings. If an encounter cannot be avoided, then quick rational thinking and strategies for survival must be employed.How to Survive a Bear AttackAlthough greatly feared, bear attacks are actually quite uncommon. Bears generally seek to avoid humans, except to steal food, and thus the likelihood of a bear encounter is not all that great. First of all a distinction should be made between the grizzly bear and the less aggressive black bear. Grizzly attacks are both more ferocious and more common than black bear attacks. However, confrontations with all bears should be avoided at all costs. If you spot a bear, do not hang around and watch it. Chances are it will continue to go about its business and leave you alone. Increase your distance from the bear as quickly as possible without seeming obvious. Do not try to outrun the bear because the bear can and will run faster as it decides you have designated yourself potential prey. If the bear begins to follow you, separate yourself from any food items you may be carrying, and continue to walk quickly away. If the bear is clearly disinterested in the discarded food and continues to follow you, turn around and face the bear and place your hands out to your side or above your head to make yourself appear larger and more threatening. If there is more than one person present, all members of the party should do the same in an effort to scare the bear. This is generally sufficient enough to make the curious bear leave, but if it doesn’t; and it becomes apparent that the bear has considered you a potential threat, then desperate measures call for desperate strategies. If the bear begins to run at you, lay down on the ground, cover your head and face with your hands, and play dead. The bear may sniff and paw at you and perhaps even roll your body on the ground, but as humans are not exactly appealing to a bear’s fish and berry diet, they are not likely to eat you. At worst, you may end up with a few bumps and bruises or a broken bone. On the other hand, if you fight back aggressively, the bear will follow its natural instinct to fight back and will probably win. Only physically fight a bear if you have exhausted every other option available and the bear is intent on having you for its next meal. Other means of escape include tall trees (though the bear may wait at the base of the tree indefinitely for you to come down) or a swift stream that you can outswim the bear in.How to Survive a Mountain Lion AttackMountain lion attacks have been making the news headlines with increasing frequency lately. Not just children but a number of persons including hikers, cyclists, and even runners have been the victims of their vicious attacks. Unlike bears, most of the latest mountain lion attacks seem unprovoked, and may be a reaction to the recent encroachment of human development in their natural habitat. Whatever the cause, protecting yourself against a mountain lion attack is of paramount concern, especially in certain areas in the West. If you find yourself the unfortunate victim of a mountain lion attack, fight back aggressively. Use every weapon in your personal arsenal to defend yourself. Sticks, clubs, large rocks, mace, pepper spray, and weapons all need to be employed against a mountain lion attack. It is important that you try to remain standing as you fend off the wild animal to protect your face, neck, and head, and to have better leverage over the animal. Also, scream for help if you are in a residential environment or an area where there are likely to be more people. Once an attack begins, nothing short of killing or grossly injuring this animal is likely to stop it. Mountain lions do consider human beings potential sources of food and will generally prey upon smaller, less defensive humans.How to Survive an Attack by an Aggressive DogAgain, avoidance is the surest way to ensure that an attack by an aggressive dog doesn’t occur, but if an attack cannot be avoided, quick thinking and aggressive measures must be implemented. If an aggressive dog confronts you, use a calm voice to let the animal know that you are not interested in a fight. Keep your body turned towards the dog and talk to him while slowly backing away. Remain tall and erect, and if at possible try to make your body appear bigger than it really is. As you are walking away, try to locate a stick to use as a possible weapon should the animal decide to attack. If the dog does lunge at you, remain standing while kicking the animal in the face. Your legs are better suited for defense as they are generally stronger than one’s arms. If you have a stick, deliver full, forceful blows to the animal’s face and ribs in an effort to weaken him. If there is a possibility for you to move to higher ground such as on a car, a raised platform, or a tree, then do so. Any leverage you have on the wild dog will work to your advantage and hopefully result in fewer injuries and an increased chance of survival.

Origin

As a military officer, Baden-Powell was stationed in British India and Africa in the 1880s and 1890s. Since his youth, he had been fond of woodcraft and military scouting, and—as part of their training—showed his men how to survive in the wilderness. He noticed that it helped the soldiers to develop independence rather than just blindly follow officers' orders.In 1896, Baden-Powell was assigned to the Matabeleland region in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) as Chief of Staff to Gen. Frederick Carrington during the Second Matabele War, and it was here that he first met and began a life-long friendship with Frederick Russell Burnham, the American born Chief of Scouts for the British. This would become a formative experience for Baden-Powell not only because he had the time of his life commanding reconnaissance missions into enemy territory, but because many of his later Boy Scout ideas took hold here. During their joint scouting patrols into the Matobo Hills, Burnham began teaching Baden-Powell woodcraft, inspiring him and giving him the plan for both the program and the code of honor of Scouting for Boys.Practiced by frontiersmen of the American Old West and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, woodcraft was generally unknown to the British, but well known to the American scout Burnham. These skills eventually formed the basis of what is now called scoutcraft, the fundamentals of Scouting. Both men recognised that wars in Africa were changing markedly and the British Army needed to adapt; so during their joint scouting missions, Baden-Powell and Burnham discussed the concept of a broad training programme in woodcraft for young men, rich in exploration, tracking, fieldcraft, and self-reliance. It was also during this time in the Matobo Hills that Baden-Powell first started to wear his signature campaign hat like the one worn by Burnham, and it was here that Baden-Powell acquired his Kudu horn, the Ndebele war instrument he later used every morning at Brownsea Island to wake the first Boy Scouts and to call them together in training courses.Three years later, in South Africa during the Second Boer War, Baden-Powell was besieged in the small town of Mafeking by a much larger Boer army (the Siege of Mafeking). The Mafeking Cadet Corps was a group of youths that supported the troops by carrying messages, which freed the men for military duties and kept the boys occupied during the long siege. The Cadet Corps performed well, helping in the defense of the town (1899–1900), and were one of the many factors that inspired Baden-Powell to form the Scouting movement.[ Each member received a badge that illustrated a combined compass point and spearhead. The badge's logo was similar to the fleur-de-lis that Scouting later adopted as its international symbol.In the United Kingdom, the public followed Baden-Powell's struggle to hold Mafeking through newspapers, and when the siege was broken, he had become a national hero. This rise to fame fueled the sales of a small instruction book he had written about military scouting, Aids to Scouting.On his return to England, he noticed that boys showed considerable interest in the book, which was used by teachers and youth organizations.He was suggested by several to rewrite this book for boys, especially during an inspection of the Boys' Brigade, a large youth movement drilled with military precision. Baden-Powell thought this would not be attractive and suggested that it could grow much larger when scouting would be used. He studied other schemes, parts of which he used for Scouting.A 2007 British fifty pence coincommemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Scout MovementIn July 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton sent Baden-Powell a copy of his book The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians. Seton, a British-born Canadian living in the United States, met Baden-Powell in October 1906, and they shared ideas about youth training programs. In 1907 Baden-Powell wrote a draft called Boy Patrols. In the same year, to test his ideas, he gathered 21 boys of mixed social backgrounds (from boy's schools in the London area and a section of boys from the Poole, Parkstone, Hamworthy,Bournemouth, and Winton Boys' Brigade units) and held a week-long camp in August on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. His organizational method, now known as the Patrol System and a key part of Scouting training, allowed the boys to organize themselves into small groups with an elected patrol leader.In the autumn of 1907, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour arranged by his publisher, Arthur Pearson, to promote his forthcoming book, Scouting for Boys. He had not simply rewritten his Aids to Scouting, but left out the military aspects and transferred the techniques (mainly survival) to non-military heroes: backwoodsmen, explorers (and later on, sailors and airmen). He also added innovative educational principles (the Scout method) by which he extended the attractive game to a personal mental education.Scouting for Boys first appeared in England in January 1908 as six fortnightly installments, and was published in England later in 1908 in book form. The book is now the fourth-bestselling title of all time, and is now commonly considered the first version of theBoy Scout Handbook.At the time, Baden-Powell intended that the scheme would be used by established organizations, in particular the Boys' Brigade, from the founder William A. Smith. However, because of the popularity of his person and the adventurous outdoor game he wrote about, boys spontaneously formed Scout patrols and flooded Baden-Powell with requests for assistance. He encouraged them, and the Scouting movement developed momentum. As the movement grew, Sea Scout, Air Scout, and other specialized units were added to the program.

AGM

Greetings Scout brothers,

I would like to inform you all that we are having AGM this saturday.We really hope that you all will come to attend this big day.

Thanks