Every emergency situation is unique – if you break your leg while jungle trekking with hardened jungle trekkers who are super fit and many in a number it is a different situation than if you do the same while out with first timers who aren’t used to the jungle and are a bit ‘city slack’. You might be a mile for civilisation or fifty miles, there might be phone reception, there might not be, you might be in overgrown jungle or on a nice clear trail…the list goes on and on.
So, should there be some emergency the first thing to do – and do this immediately – is to do nothing at all. Or rather once any immediate danger to the person is dealt with and first aid administered, then you should S.T.O.P. (Stop, Think, Orientate and Plan). You and the group you are with should take a few minutes to think and come up with the best plan, because there are very few (I can’t think of any off hand) situations where a a few minutes of physical inaction is going to make all that much difference one way or the other, but a few minutes spent thinking and planning can make all the difference in the world.
I remember watching a programme about a couple who were on holiday, bird watching somewhere in a South American jungle and the woman twisted her ankle, her husband went off for help but then couldn’t remember the way back to where he’d left his wife and by the time they did find her (weeks later) she was dead. I’m sure all of you could think of what he should have done to make sure he could find her again (or even the alternative of not leaving her in the first place) but he was probably slightly panicked and disorientated and the real mistake I suspect he made was not to S.T.O.P.
In this video I look at the reality of carrying someone out of the jungle – it is no small task to undertake but there is a method that makes it a little easier. In many situations it might make more sense to send a small party off to get help while the rest of the group stays behind with the injured person….but only you will be able to determine what is the best option on the basis of the particular emergency situation you find yourself in
“Why is there a programme called ‘When animals attack’? It should be called ‘When stupid people go near dangerous animals'”
I met a fellow trekker once who described his encounter with a King Cobra. He was climbing a steep path and not paying too much attention to what was up ahead so that he almost walked into the cobra that was rearing up just a couple of feet in front. He started to back up and tripped, landing on his backside so that he was sitting on the jungle floor, helpless and staring up at the snake looming above him (they can reach a height of 5 feet). They stayed like that for a moment (probably felt much longer to him) and then the snake turned and moved away into the undergrowth.
In many instances animal behaviour is difficult to predict – however there are some general rules when it comes to animal attacks on humans. With snakes that are too small to eat you (i.e. anything smaller than the very largest of pythons) the snake will only attack if it feels threatened (or if it is defending a nest) and the attack is really just its way of telling you to go away (so, for example, snakes may give you a dry bite as a warning shot but if you don’t heed the warning it will bite again and inject venom). The bottom line is that snakes don’t want to waste their precious venom on something that is too big for them to eat anyway and if they don’t feel threatened they’ll leave you alone.
Another well known rule is that with animals that hunt for larger prey it is almost never a good idea to behave like prey (i.e.to run away) as this is likely to trigger them to give chase. If you own a dog or a cat you will know this already, both love to chase anything that runs. You will also see that dogs main tactic for bringing down larger animals is to circle behind them and attack the legs which is why you never want to let a predator get behind you.
As I’m sure everyone knows, approaching a mother with their young in tow is also not a good idea. Even the humble milk cows of England’s green and pleasant land have been known to kill (31 people killed by cattle in the UK in the last 10 years). The stray dog we rescued (a dog so petrified of humans that even after 3 years she refuses to let anyone touch or approach her) had a litter of puppies and bit me once when one of them got its head stuck in the fence and I went to help it
But it’s difficult to generalise much further about animal behaviour as it can be unpredictable. For example most people believe that a camp fire will keep wild animals away but there is another school of thought that thinks the fire may actually attract curious predators to come and check you out. Who is right? Probably both – in some instances the fire will keep them away but sometimes a particularly curious animal may be drawn to it.
Even animal experts can get it wrong (e.g. Steve Irwin) and I think all, if they are honest, would agree that it is impossible to accurately predict the behaviour of wild animals 100% of the time.
In this video I’ve filmed the civet cats (for those interested) and also describe a very hairy encounter with a spitting cobra. The dogs were attacking this cobra and (true to their instincts) were attempting to bite it by the tail and pull it backwards (not a great tactic with a snake) – it amazed me that none of us ended up bitten by the snake and I think this is only down to the fact the the spitting cobras first line of defence is to spit. Had it been a King Cobra or viper then I’m positive that at least one of us would have been bitten as all of us were well within striking distance.
This has been a very busy year so far and I haven’t been able to devote as much time to junglecraft as I would like and have been a bit slow at replying to comments and emails. I do eventually reply and will try to post more videos soon.
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places” (Roald Dahl)
. I remember the first snake I ever saw in Malaysia; I was standing about 5 feet away from it and the guide was pointing it out to me…
“It’s there”, he said.
“Where?” I replied.
“There! There!” and I could tell my guide was getting increasingly frustrated by apparent blindness to spot the thing that was right in from of me.
The main reason I couldn’t see the snake was not it’s beautiful camouflage but rather that I was looking for the wrong thing. Having been brought on Hollywood films, my eyes were searching for a large and fearsome snake, rearing up from the undergrowth – not the tiny, slender little thing that hung, utterly motionless, like a piece of discarded string draped over a small branch.
It was a small pit viper and, unlike other more accommodating snakes (cobras and the like) they are stubborn little creatures; ambush hunters who lie in wait and refuse to get out of your way as you blunder through the jungle.
This morning I went out to free the geese and almost immediately spotted the snake that lay coiled in my path and it made me realise that I have become much better at spotting snakes than I used to be. What had changed? The first thing that’s changed is the pattern recognition going on in my brain – I know what to look for simply because I’ve seen it before. The other thing that has changed is that I have become accustomed to looking carefully before stepping forward – I try not to step on anything as I don’t like killing animals unnecessarily – even ants! But this closet-buddhist sentimentality has the upside that I’ve now become very aware of what’s going on at the jungle floor beneath me…
So here’s an odd tip for jungle trekking – try not to step on insects in your path, it may save you from a snake bite one day!
“You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.” (Paulo Coelho)
When I was a child I decided that the bridge over a small stream was far too easy an option and decided to use a tree branch instead. The branch was the same diameter as I was, but unfortunately it was rotten and promptly snapped, sending me falling about 15 feet onto the stony river bed bellow. My older sister discovered me moments later lying on my back yelling “I’m dead! I’m dead!” which I very clearly and vocally wasn’t.
Perhaps not an auspicious start to river crossings and I’ve had my fair share of tumbles and soakings since.
Because of the nature of jungle trekking there are almost always rivers to be crossed and they can be potentially very hazardous to the unwary. A few weeks back I was on overnight camping trip with a group of friends. On the way out we had to cross a small river and there were boulders to use as stepping stones – unfortunately one of the group slipped and fell forwards, smacking her head on a boulder as she fell – as we all turned to help we saw her lying face down and motionless in the river… we lifted her up and luckily she was just a bit stunned and okay apart from a golf-ball sized bruise on her forehead. But it could easily have been much worse and the incident reminded me of the dangers that crossing even small rivers and streams can pose.
In this video I cover some of the lessons that I have learnt (the hard way!). If there is a simple golden rule to river crossings it is to take your time and heed your instincts that warn you when you are about do something stupid or badly thought out….“Cross in haste, repent underwater!”
The other danger that rivers pose in the jungle is due to the speed with which they can rise. In the photo below you can seem me recrossing a river in my Land Rover. I’d crossed the same river just the day before and it had only been axle deep….on the way back it was coming in through the windows.
And let be honest here, I’d read about rivers in the jungle rising fast but for some reason never really believed it until it happened to me. A few years ago I was camping about 15 feet up the slope from a dried out river bed….my friends were camped on the other side. It had started to drizzle and I retired to my hammock for an afternoon nap with my ipod. About an hour later I vaguely became aware of distant shouts and looked up to find that the river had risen so far that it was only a couple of feet from my hammock. I managed to cross what was now a swirling torrent of muddy river to the other side thanks to a fallen tree, but only 20 minutes later the same crossing had become impossible.
What was deceptive about both of the above incidents was that the rain fall where we were camping was just a light drizzle….but, of course, what caused the river to rise was the heavy rain that must have been falling further upstream.
The other danger posed by rivers comes in the form of waterfalls: clearly it is not a good idea cross a river near to waterfall if there is a risk of being swept over but it can also be risky to camp near to a waterfall as well….if you want to see what I mean by this last point then watch this Youtube video which is enough to make anyone think twice before setting up camp beneath a waterfall.
“To be stupid, selfish and have good health are the three requirements for happiness….though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost” (Flaubert)
I came across this video link the other day about the plight of the rain forest in Sarawak…it is a shocking expose but, perhaps, not that a big a surprise to those familiar with rain forest politics. The video speaks for itself and you can draw your own conclusions, but I would encourage anyone interested in the rain forest to watch it.
It is ironic that we humans believe we can both over exploit the world’s natural resources (leaving little for future generations) whilst at the same time over populating the world… I honestly don’t get it.
There does, however, seem to be a growing realization that this state of affairs can only end badly and, although the solution to these problems is complex and will take time, I hope that our human ingenuity will find a way.
However, the speed at which these natural resources are disappearing is so fast that by the time we come up with a solution there may be nothing left to save.
Anyone who has been on a survival course will be familiar with the S.T.O.P rule – that if you find yourself lost in the forest then you should STOP – THINK – OBSERVE – PLAN rather than blindly rushing onwards in the hope of stumbling across a way out of the jungle. Maybe mankind needs to take the same approach to the problems we face with over population and our environment? To take a pause, turn off the chain saws, and re-evaluate before it’s too late.
Surely mankind can come up with a better plan than “more of us is good and consumerism is god”?
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler” (Einstein)
I originally contacted Dr Khaldun back in June with the idea of doing a short video on venomous snakes in Malaysia from the perspective of a jungle trekker. Five videos and six months later and we’ve covered the (basics) of this fascinating subject.
Was this excessive? Too many videos? Too much information? All I can say is that in the 7 years I have been living in the jungle I have come into contact with more venomous snakes than any other potentially live threatening hazard in the jungle – on average I end up close (within a few feet) to a venomous snake about once every two months, sometimes more.
Knowing how to protect yourself from getting bitten (common sense and appropriate footwear/gloves) and an understanding of the behaviour of these snakes will probably be sufficient to keep you out of harm’s way….but accidents happen and in these two videos we cover that eventuality. In the first video Dr Khaldun explains the effects of the venom on the human body and, in the second, the basic first-aid procedures that can be applied.
Please note: in Australia washing a snake bite wound is not recommended as the hospitals have venom identification kits and don’t want you to wash off the venom present on the skin so that they can test it. This test kit is not for identifying venomous snakes native to Malaysia so they are not used over here and, as such, you can wash the wound with clean water before bandaging it up.
I like it when things are simple but, talking to Dr Khadun, I began to realise that this subject is anything but. To say that the cobras, kraits and coral snakes are ‘neurotoxic” and the vipers are ‘haemotoxic’ is a simplification as the venom components are more complex than that. To guesstimate how long you have (after getting bitten) before life-threatening symptoms appear is just that – a guesstimate – there are many variables at work: was it a dry bite? how much venom was injected?; the physical state of the victim; the site of the bite; does the victim panic or not? etc etc.
Hopefully these videos keep it as simple as possible and will give you some idea of what to expect (and what to do) in the event that you, or a companion, get bitten by a venomous snake. I think it is knowledge that every jungle trekker should have as it would be awful to find yourself in a scenario where you had the possibility to save your friend’s life but couldn’t simply because you didn’t know what to do.
Finally I would just like to thank Dr Khaldun for all the time he put into (very patiently!) explaining to a layman like myself the basics of this complex subject.
“Adventure without risk is disneyland” (Douglas Coupland)
Risk assessment is something we do every day and involves two steps: 1) what is the magnitude of the problem should the risk be realised (e.g. “if there’s a zombie apocalypse I could be eaten alive”) and 2) estimating the likelihood of that event happening (in the case of zombie apocalypse this is zero).
But there is a third element that people often forget and that is assessing the risk to yourself should you not do something because of fear of associated risk.
For example:
The jungle contains venomous snakes (true)
I might get bitten (possible but unlikely)
If I get bitten I might die (possible)
Therefore I should stay at home and watch nature documentaries instead (false)
because, if you stay at home and become a couch potato, you may well end up unhappy and overweight and drop dead early from a heart attack.
With the venomous snakes of Malaysia the ones that strike most fear into the average jungle trekker are the cobras and, should you be unlucky enough to be fully envenomated by a King Cobra there’s a strong possibility that you won’t live to tell the tale. However the likelihood of being bitten by a King Cobra is extremely low in the first place so (for me at least) it is an acceptable risk.
Vipers are a different story for the jungle trekker as 1) the risk of being bitten by a viper is higher, but 2) the chances of you surviving the bite are much greater (vs being bitten by a neurotoxic snake).
Why are jungle trekkers more likely to be bitten by vipers? Simply because they are much more difficult to see. Vipers are ambush hunters and tend to wait, motionless, either perched on low hanging branches (in the case of the arboreal vipers) or hiding in logs/leave litter (in the case of the terrestrial vipers). Whereas the cobras will, very thoughtfully, let you know if you get too close and do their best to get out of your way, the vipers show no such consideration and, like surly teenagers, will refuse to budge as you approach but, should you get too close and invade their ‘personal space’ they will suddenly lash out…
The venom from a viper causes: 1) immediate pain followed by swelling and necrosis (tissue death) at the site of the bite and 2) disruption of the blood clotting system. A viper bite is a serious matter as complications can be fatal – for example, by products from the the destruction of the muscles and blood cells may damage the kidneys and internal bleeding may occur (e.g. from the brain)… but, with correct first aid procedures and a speedy transition to hospital, the victim’s chances of survival are good.
But let me give you a real life example of this. Last week I went down to KL to meet up with a guy called Herman who is fellow jungle trekker and outdoors enthusiast. In September this year he was unfortunate enough to be bitten by a green pit viper and, as we sat having coffee he showed me where he was bitten – or rather he didn’t, as the top of his thumb had been amputated at the site of the bite.
This is his story:
“It was a Saturday and I was on a trek, hiking to a peak called Batu Lapan Belas near to Broga using compass and map. I was the sweeper with my four friends in front and none of us saw the snake that bit me although they must have all passed next to it too. It was about 3pm and we were cutting a trail through some secondary forest, lots of bamboo, and I guess the snake was hanging on a low branch next to the path. I was about to put my parang back in its sheath when I suddenly felt the bite on my hand – instinctively I flung out my hand, dropping the parang, and I noticed blood on my thumb. On the ground next to me I saw the snake – it was only a foot long; a juvenile green viper. We killed the snake so as to be able to identify it later”
[A quick note here: killing a venomous snake that has bitten you is not the best course of action as you risk getting bitten again in the process. A much better idea is to take a photo with your phone/camera and take that along to the hospital]
“Almost immediately I started to feel pain but at this time it was still bearable. The summit was only another 50 m ahead and we decided to keep going. Looking back this was a mistake and we should have immediately started to descend. We reached the summit at about 3.30pm and then started to return to where we’d parked the car. By now the pain was getting worse and beginning to throb – I couldn’t grip anything with that hand and descending was very difficult.
We reached the carpark at 7.30 pm and my friends drove me to hospital. On the way to hospital I started to develop a fever and by the time we reached the hospital (at 9pm) I was feeling really bad. They kept me in hospital overnight – by then my thumb had gone black and the joints near to the bite were beginning to ache as well. On the Monday they decided that the best thing was to perform surgery to remove the dead cells (necrosis) at the site of the bite and they cut off the top of my thumb. They also cut open my hand to check the spread of the necrosis.
I was in hospital for ten days in total but the pain lasted for about two months and even now it’s still very sensitive”
Listening to Herman’s account it struck me that, although a viper bite may not be fatal, it is still something to be avoided if at all possible. For the jungle trekker this means being alert to your surroundings: not blindly reaching out for handholds or wildly slashing with your parang.
Above all the golden rule in the jungle is: move slowly, move carefully and keep your eyes open.
“It’s a swamp adder!” cried Holmes; “the deadliest snake in India. He has died with ten seconds of being bitten” (The Speckled Band, Arthur Conan Doyle)
In this video we look at Peninsular Malaysia’s predominantly neurotoxic venomous snakes; namely the cobras, kraits and coral snakes. These snakes can inject toxins that act directly on the nervous system and cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles… simply put, envenomation can result in you being unable to breathe and, possibly while still conscious and aware of what is happening, you will slowly die of asphyxiation – effectively drowning while surrounded by air.
Not a nice way to go, and if you want to read a chilling account of a fatal envenomation and the various stages, read this article about the death of herpetologist Joe Slowinski following a krait bite.
King Cobras who can stand 5 ft tall and inject massive quantities of venom, cobras who can spit venom into your eyes with uncanny accuracy, the gentle bite of the deadly krait that may go unnoticed, like a passing kiss of death, until you find your eyelids drooping as you begin to lose the ability to breathe …
…all scary stuff indeed.
But the good news is that these neurotoxic snakes (whose venom is most likely to kill you) are also the snakes least likely to bite you, whereas those venomous snakes who are more likely to bite you (the vipers) have venom that is less likely to kill you (at least not as quickly!)
There is more good news for the jungle trekker that should help relieve the fear:
You’re on the snake’s home patch and it knows how to quickly get out of your path, disappearing into the jungle before you even get near, sensing the vibrations from your footfalls long before you get close.
These snakes (the cobras, kraits and coral snakes) are terrestrial and rarely climb into the trees – so once you’re snug in your hammock at night, there is very little chance of one of these snakes crawling in there with you.
If you get too close to a cobra it will, very thoughtfully, rear up and spread its hood, making it easy to spot; giving you fair warning that it’s there and not to approach closer.
The deadly krait has a small mouth and fangs, so is highly unlikely to be able to penetrate boots or thick clothing… and the coral snake’s mouth is even smaller.
The spitting cobras venom is not going to blind you if it gets in your eyes as long as you wash it out carefully and thoroughly.
Often the cobras will give you a warning bite first (i.e. a dry bite) and will only give a bite (or repeated bites) with significant amounts of venom if you don’t get the message to leave it alone.
None of these snakes are ambush hunters (unlike the vipers and pythons) so they are far less likely to be found curled up on trails waiting for their prey and will get out of your way if they have a chance to do so (unlike the vipers).
As far as the snake is concerned, its venom is precious stuff that it wants to save for hunting; so it doesn’t want to waste it on a human (who is obviously too large for it to eat) unless it absolutely has to.
So, bearing all the above in mind, how on earth do people manage to get bitten by these snakes?
People pick up snakes. Take the case of Joe Slowinski who put his hand into a bag containing a banded krait (believing it to be a wolf snake) and died as a result. Snake charmers and the like play with snakes and often get bitten. Children may play with snakes and pick them up.
People can mistake a venomous snake for a non-venomous one. The juvenile King Cobra can be mistaken for the far less dangerous mangrove cat snake, the harmless wolf snake looks similar to the deadly Malayan banded krait… even for experts it’s easy for mistaken identification to be made, so the golden rule for the jungle trekker is don’t pick any snake up and treat all snakes as being possibly venomous.
Snakes may become aggressive if they feel trapped. This is more of a problem when snakes enter the house and can’t find a way out. In the jungle they are spoilt for choice in terms of escape routes and will simply get out of your way if they can.
King Cobras will defend a nest and, if you get too close, they will try and make you go back…possibly becoming aggressive if you’re slow to pick up the message.
Snakes may make a home in your rucksack or boots when they are left out overnight (so close bags securely and suspend them above ground and check shoes before you put them on).
Trekkers may not be wearing footwear that offers sufficient protection against snake bite and sometimes go barefoot around camp (I confess I am sometimes guilty of doing this!)
Jungle trekkers who answer a call of nature in the middle of the night without bothering to check around with a torch for snakes in the area.
Jungle trekkers may (by accident) disturb a sleeping snake when collecting firewood. For this reason it is a good idea to give logs a kick before picking them up, wear gloves and/or use your parang (rather than your hands) for pulling dead branches down from trees.
While filming these neurotoxic snakes at Zoo Negara and at Batu Caves I was struck by the fact these snakes are really not aggressive and their behaviour a far cry from what Hollywood would have us believe (or for that matter quite a few ‘nature/survival’ programmes). Even with a camera stuck in their face and someone pulling their tails, most of the cobras were reluctant to even raise up and slithered away at the very first possible opportunity.
If you stay alert in the jungle, wear some basic protective clothing, use common sense and, above all, avoid the temptation to pick up or antagonize any snakes you come across, then it is very unlikely that you will have a problem with a cobra, krait or coral snake.
The reality is that for someone to get bitten by one of these snakes in the jungle would require them to be either extremely unlucky, walking around with their eyes wide shut or simply lacking in common sense….
But then, as my friend Peter Bailey used to say, “the problem with common sense is it ain’t that bleedin’ common”
“Always carry a flask of whisky in case of snakebite…and furthermore, always carry a snake” (W.C.Fields)
Is it any surprise that many people are scared of snakes? Since the story of Adam and Eve, snakes have rarely been portrayed in a good light. Even today, watching some of the more over dramatic survival/nature programs (you know the ones, where the presenter dances and sidesteps around a snake as if it is about to explode) is enough to convince those who don’t know better that snakes are lethally aggressive creatures bent on nothing more than attacking as many humans as they possibly can.
The problem is that fear makes humans do stupid things: most of the locals I come across here will automatically kill a snake if they see one. Why? Because they’re scared of snakes, and they’re scared of snakes because they’ve been told scare stories since childhood. One popular belief is that if you don’t kill a snake that comes into your garden then it will ‘mark you for death’ and revisit vindictively until it finally gets the chance to strike you down…
Since I have lived in Malaysia I have had countless encounters with ‘dangerous’ snakes and never felt in the least bit threatened by them. That is not to say that I am not careful around snakes, I am, but I no longer take the horror stories I hear about snakes at face value – most are wildly exaggerated and many are quite simply untrue.
The risk from snakes is relatively low compared to that from other dangers in the jungle. In the last six years I’ve never come across anyone who has even been bitten by a snake and yet I know personally of two people who died of dengue (transmitted by mosquitos) and two who died after being stung by bees. This year a guide here in Malaysia was killed by a falling branch in the jungle – and yet, when I go camping I often notice how few people check for widow-makers (dead branches) above where they pitch their hammocks, but these same people will sit around the camp fire scaring themselves silly with stories of lethal snake attacks. In short, risk is relative, but we often worry most about low risk situations that have ‘nightmare’ outcomes whilst happily accepting high risk situations (e.g. driving) that we have come to accept as part of everyday life.
Knowledge is the key to managing fear and allows you to rationally look at risk and weigh it up. Similarly knowledge of what to do in the event of that ‘nightmare scenario’ happening not only stops it being a ‘nightmare’ scenario (psychologically transforming it into a calculated risk instead) but may even save your life.
It is the same with survival techniques – you may never need them (in fact you probably won’t) but it’s better to know them and not need them, than need them and not know them.
In this video I look at pythons from the perspective of a jungle trekker. In the six years I’ve been pottering around in the jungle I have only come across three, medium sized (10 – 15 feet) pythons in the wild – one was lounging around on a road (which I encouraged him to cross to safety using a long stick), one escaped up a tree when it saw me coming and the other came out to check out my dogs but fled when I got near, disappearing into the undergrowth.
I am not a herpetologist, nor am I any sort of wildlife expert, so the information I have has been gleaned mainly from conversations with snake handlers. I have never battled with a python (or even been bitten by one) so I don’t doubt that there are better informed people than me to discuss this subject. The problem I found, however, was that getting even some basic information on ‘what to do in the event of a problem with a python’ was not easy – searching on the internet unearthed some odd bits of good advice, a lot of bad advice and some advice that was dangerously wrong…
My favourite piece of ‘rubbish’ advice was told to me in all seriousness by a local here in Malaysia some years back. He described an epic battle he fought with a large python that had attacked him as he waded across a river. Taking out his parang, he wedged it between his chest and the constricting coils tightening around him, with the sharp edge pointed outwards. As the snake constricted harder it neatly sliced itself in two on the blade of his parang…
…and if you believe that story, you’ll believe anything.
In this video I face a few problems – a cobra that came into the back garden, a tick bite that itched to the point that I wanted to cut my own skin off and the search for bamboo shoots that didn’t go at all as planned.
The spitting cobra I managed to snag with my homemade snake removal device (a broom handle with a coat hanger hook on the end) – I pulled him out of the tree and onto the ground and almost immediately lost sight of him in the grass (and I beat a quick retreat!). Normally, of course, you would simply leave snakes alone and they will, generally, leave you alone – but I was worried that this one might go down into the car park and bite the dogs.
After three days the itch from the tick bite finally subsided – but they are really very unpleasant and worth avoiding if you can (they carry disease as well).
…and then there was the bamboo. I was very confident of quickly finding some bamboo shoots for this video as I come across them all the time. Turns out I was over confident and, for whatever reason, the bamboo shoots I was finding were all rotten. However, this was a useful lesson to relearn as, in the jungle, it is foolish to rely on finding the specific plant you need and much better if you have a repertoire of plants that you can fall back on.
When I was eleven or so, I was given a copy of the excellent SAS Survival Guide and, with the impatience of youth, flicked idly through it (glancing only at the pictures) and closed the book convinced that I could survive anything (even a nuclear war!)….but of course I couldn’t; there is a huge difference between watching someone doing something and being able to do it ourselves…on top of which, nature likes to throw you a curve ball every now and again as well!
There are many survival TV programs that have done the rounds and, in some of them, it seem to me that the ease with which the expert finds food, or lights a fire, or builds a raft (!) can be misleading.
Ray Mears, of whom I’m a fan by-the-way, makes a lot of quite difficult skills look remarkably easy – I imagine this is because a) he clearly is very skilled at these techniques and b) the process is edited to speed it up (as many viewers won’t be interested in the fine details behind the techniques). This is fair enough as, at the end of the day, he is making a TV program (rather than teaching a course) and therefore has to take out some of the more mundane (but often very important) points.
Les Stroud is someone who manages to realistically convey the difficulties of surviving in the wilderness. For this he receives a certain amount of flak from arm chair survivalists who mock the fact that he can’t find food (which he generally doesn’t) or for the fact that he complains about the weight of camera equipment he has to lug around and rarely gets a good nights sleep. To me this picture he paints is a realistic one, generally things don’t go exactly according to plan in the wilderness. Far from being a moaner, he strikes me as someone who has a very positive attitude and the flexibility to deal with the inevitable set backs. Also, very importantly, he is on his own out there: there is no camera crew. This is a very psychologically important point indeed as it is much harder to face any difficulties if you are truly on your own in the middle of nowhere.
…and then there’s Bear Grylls. I watched the video clip of his (unorthodox) bow drill technique (which was surprisingly, very surprisingly) effective and then watched no more. Enough said.
So, for me, I would only fully trust in the junglecraft techniques and jungle foods that I have experience of already – that’s not to say i don’t enjoy watching how other people do things, rather that I like to try it for myself before I rely on it.
Back to bamboo – it is the king of survival resources in the jungle but requires practice before it really unveils all it has to offer. For example, the bamboo fire saw is a technique that I wouldn’t suggest someone attempts (if they were in a survival situation) unless they have successful experience of using the technique already. Why? Because they might simply end up spending far too much time trying (and probably failing) to get a fire going with this tricky technique which would be better spent doing something else (e.g. searching for wood to use in a bow drill).
Similarly, looking (only) for bamboo shoots for two mornings (which was what I did) would not be a good survival strategy. Whereas searching the immediate area for all plants and food that can be eaten would be….flexibility, a good plan and knowledge are key.
The technique of getting water from bent bamboo proved more effective than I had thought – again, this demonstrates why it is worth trying these things beforehand. Before I tried this technique I was uncertain how well it would work (and therefore might not have tried using it in a survival situation) whereas now I know it works I would definitely use it, particularly as it is so easy to set up.
