What or who is dangerous in the forest. Don't spit in the well: what does massive deforestation threaten humanity with? Where does the brown bear live?

One day, while walking through the forest, I thought that the forest was not so safe. This world, separate from civilization and the bustle of the city, makes you think a little: there is complete silence and many dangers that can await us at every step. There are predators and poisonous plants... But that's not all! After thinking carefully, I decided to tell you about the possible dangers in the forest, and what measures should be taken.

- this is the first thing you should think about when going mushroom or berry picking, or just taking a walk through the same forest expanses. But the forest is beautiful and wonderful, and the air is pleasant and fresh... But at the same time, dangers cannot be ruled out. Unfortunately, there are often cases when people, having gone into the forest, disappear or die, often for unknown reasons... Although this does not mean that you will definitely run into danger, it is still worth protecting yourself.

Now let's take a closer look at what awaits us in the forest, and what to do about it.

Be careful, poison!

As everyone knows, mushrooms and berries in the forest can be both edible and inedible. If you are hungry, you should not rush to all sorts of “goodies” without knowing their names. It is better to take food with you, taken from home or bought at the store. It will be safer this way. As an option, you can take sandwiches: here you don’t need to take much, and you’ll eat well. And don’t forget about water, because going without drinking for a long time is also not an option.

Misconception is the most famous case In the woods

Before going into the forest, take with you everything you need: a compass, a navigator, a small first aid kit (bandage, cotton wool, hydrogen peroxide), a knife, a plastic raincoat. Always remember the area you are in. And if you do get lost, try to make notches in the trees so as not to walk in circles. In general, there are plenty of ways to get out of the forest. Read about it. In this case, the main thing is not to panic and act according to the rules.

Annoying and dangerous insects

Mosquitoes, midges, ticks, there are so many of them... Before going into the forest, wear long sleeves and tuck your pants into your socks. In general, the body should be completely covered. It is better to choose clothes that are slippery, so that it is more difficult for insects to crawl on them, and not very dark, so that they are easier to notice. Mosquito and tick repellents are also helpful! And after the forest, check carefully. And stay away from power lines; that's where the most ticks are.

Wild animals

There may be bears, wolves, and wild boars in the forest, there are a lot of them there... Therefore, be on your guard: take something to eat with you, not only for yourself, but also for the animals. And if you find an animal in the forest, try to appear invisible to it. Slowly and carefully move back, preferably facing him. And if he does see you and is coming straight at you, you will have to take action. Each animal is different. More details about this are written in.

Be careful not to drown!

Not only animals and plants can be dangerous in the forest. No one has yet ruled out a swamp in the forest. Therefore, if you see an area in the forest overgrown with reeds, do not approach it. And when you feel the water under your feet, go back. And don’t try to pretend to be a hero and try to step there or go further, otherwise you may get sucked in so much that it won’t seem like much! But if you find yourself in a quagmire alone, the chances of salvation will be almost zero.

Ups and downs

Walking through the forest, there is a high chance of stumbling upon an unexploded military shell. But there have been some of them left there since the Second World War - mom, don’t worry. Some of them were buried by partisans to destroy the Nazis, and some landed from combat vehicles and remained there to this day. So if you see anything rusty or that looks like ammunition, don't touch it. Stay out of harm's way. Better yet, call the Ministry of Emergency Situations so that the shell can be neutralized.

So, after reading the above, keep it all in your memory as the apple of your eye if you are planning to go into the forest. But that's not all! In the forest it is still possible (rarely, but quite possible):

• Get shot by a hunter
• Get hit by a falling tree
• Fall into a pit full of wolves
• Run into a maniac or forester
• Meet the goblin

Yes, and try not to go into the forest alone, this will give you a better chance of being saved. emergency situations. I wish you have a nice walk. Take care of yourself!

Good afternoon friends. Hunters and fishermen, photographers wildlife, mushroom and berry pickers, tourists, etc. Although, most likely, this article is not for you, but for those who are little familiar with the forest. For those who have spent their entire life in a stinking city, going to the forest for the first time and not knowing what to expect from it. For those who are familiar with the forest, but use it more as a consumer, without studying it and the inhabitants of the forest. For those who see the forest as a center of evil and danger.

Well, it's good to babble! Go!

The desire to write such an article and in this form arose a long time ago. I'm tired of answering numerous stupid questions from all kinds of ignorant and little-knowledgeable people about the dangers of the forest. Every time I talk about my trips to the forest, and even overnight, and alone (are you an asshole after all?), I hear the same thing. Therefore, I will try to cite here the most common misconceptions regarding the forest, and I will try to clearly explain seemingly understandable things and refute some misconceptions.

Let's make a disclaimer right away - everything I write here applies to adults and healthy people. Much written here does not apply to the elderly and children - these are people with disabilities and health. But in general, this is more related to the issue of survival in the forest. Also, please note that I am writing here about central Russia - not about the jungle or the remote Siberian taiga (although much of what will be written here applies to it too). Let's continue our conversation about the dangers of the forest.

As a rule, only the last spectacled people who know little about it are afraid of the forest. If you know, even in theory, about the main dangers of the forest and how to deal with them, then the fear will go away by itself.

So why is the forest dangerous and should you be afraid of the forest at all?

1) Predators (bears, wolves, lynxes, etc.).

As a rule, those sucker newbies who find themselves in the forest for the first time are awestruck by stories about bears and wolves eating people. Just tell him such a tale - and now he’s already nervous, doesn’t go far from you, looks around. After such a tale, this dry man would never agree to spend the night in this forest alone. After all, this is certain death! As soon as dusk falls, hungry people are already looking at you from under the tree. wolf eyes, and somewhere behind the mane a bear who has been fasting for several days growls. What should we do? Perhaps we should climb a tree in the forest, these smart guys will say again. Yeah, come on, come on, you’re our Tarzan, climb in! How long have you been climbing trees? Check yours at the same time physical training. And also try sleeping there until the morning, sitting on a tree (only Katniss from The Hunger Games sleeps so confidently and well in trees). And then you will tell ignorant people like you how many predators roam the forest at night.

Okay, we were joking and that's enough. And now about the predators. No!!! There are predators in our forests that will just attack a person. I ask you to remember one thing - a healthy animal is always afraid (often panicky) of a person. A bear, as a rule, eats immediately and never attacks a person. If you don't believe me, try searching official statistics in the magazines “UFO”, “Miracles and Adventures”, on REN-TV, ministries of ecology or hunting management departments. Such cases, as a rule, are extremely rare and only a few occur over the course of several years. Those exceptions, when a bear still eats people alive together with a guan and attacks a person, as a rule come down to: the animal is mortally wounded while hunting, the she-bear protects the cubs, the clubfoot itself is put in a position where its life is in danger. In the other 99.9% of cases, the bear either leaves unnoticed or simply warns with a growl or its actions. If you know about this, then you will protect yourself from being eaten by a bear and being attacked.

It's the same with wolves. Wolf until useru panic!!!(please remember) is afraid of a person! A healthy wolf will never attack a person! Rare exceptions are an animal with rabies or a mortally wounded animal, or a wolf driven mad by hunger in winter. And even in winter, a wildly hungry wolf will not attack a person, unless in a pack, and unless weak person(child, old man, sick person). Do you think I’m healing you here? Don’t believe me? Remember the ending of the Soviet movie “Sannikov Land”. Still don't believe me? Read the official (I repeat - official!!!) statistics in the magazines “UFO”, “Miracles and Adventures”, and on REN-TV official sources. How many people have been eaten by wolves in your area over the past ten years? Ah, not one hundred and fifty people! But rumors persist in villages and newspapers about eaten girls or teachers (I think I heard this story when I was five years old). It is always better to trust a neighbor than some stranger Ivan Ivanovich from the authorities at the Ministry of Ecology. If you are still stubborn like a sheep and don’t believe it and stand your ground until the last, my advice to you is that it’s better not to go into the forest at all. They will definitely eat you there!

2) Overnight in the forest. (Are you tired of living?)

I hear this statement very often. “It’s scary as hell to spend the night in the forest, it’s very dangerous to shit yourself, it’s better not to. As a rule, if you ask a person: “Why,” he will answer meaningfully “ Well, you never know, anything can happen". No specifics. Friends, open the news summary for the past 24 hours - “stuff” happens every day in the city - people are killed, girls are raped, children disappear, people are crushed by cars, people burn, are maimed, injured, etc. In the forest, there is no “anything” that can happen to you in the city. I’m not healing, I’m telling you honestly - spending the night in the forest is many times safer than in the city. I would even say - completely safe! If you’re not fucking afraid of the forest, stay safe overnight, nothing will happen to you. Main enemy a person spending the night in the forest is a bear, his mother is cold. So the main thing here is to dress warmly. That's all. And you can safely send such people who talk such nonsense about spending the night in the forest to hell and put them in their place. But nothing is remembered so much for a lifetime as spending the night alone in the forest, for example, around .

3) You can get lost in the forest and die.

Yes, it’s probably really possible. It already looks a little like the truth. But at the beginning of the article we made a disclaimer. As a rule, people who get lost and die in the forest are old people and children, as we have already said, people with disabilities and health. It very rarely happens that healthy and strong people get lost and die in the forest. Rarely! Although they get lost quite often. After all, only the last loshara can get lost in three pines, even those who are on first terms with the forest. But here in central Russia, as a rule, the forest does not stretch as far in any one direction as, for example, in the Siberian taiga. Even if you rush like a saiga and walk at a speed of 3-4 km/hour, in 2-3 days you will come out to some locality. And this is through a continuous forest, without coordinating their actions. And in our forests there are always paths, forest roads, etc. Another thing is that here problems such as thirst, hunger and cold come to the fore. But, again, I don’t believe that an adult and healthy strong person cannot cope with these problems in one or two nights in the forest. In spring, summer and autumn you can find berries and water in the forest, and you can escape the cold by at least moving around. But in general, about... In the meantime, let's continue to talk about why the forest is dangerous.

4) Snakes, ticks and other creeping and flying things.

First about snakes. Let's remember that in the central part of Russia there is only one species poisonous snakes — common viper. All other snakes are non-venomous. copperhead not poisonous, remember, we’re already tired of repeating this to stubborn sheep, even if there’s a stake on your head, so be it!!! The legless spindle lizard is often mistaken for the poisonous copperhead. It happens that snakes are confused with a viper. The only thing to be afraid of is the viper. But! Let's remember the important things! Snake never!!! does not attack first, does not bite just like that. Why? It's simple. The viper needs venom for hunting, and the accumulation of a new portion of venom after a bite takes a long time and takes a lot of energy from the snake. Therefore, the snake does not want to squander it left and right. Now let's remember the second important point. The venom of a viper that knocks down a bull weighing half a ton is not fatal! You can easily look at the statistics and see that the number of deaths from viper bites is negligible. But you shouldn’t piss on a bare wire and tempt fate. Who knows, maybe you are allergic to a snake bite? There is no need to tease the snake - it is better to wet it immediately and let it crawl away calmly. In general, the common viper is listed in the Red Book in many areas, and do not be complete assholes, barbarians and monsters. If the animal doesn’t bother you, don’t bother it either! If you go into the forest to pick mushrooms, berries, hunt for cuddles and sex, or go for a walk, just put on some rubber boots and that’s it! This will solve all your problems.

Now about ticks. Yes, we have a lot of this crap in our Lately Where the hell do they come from? Contrary to popular belief, there are not many ticks in a continuous forest. And really - what should they do there? And more often they are found on paths, forest edges, field and country roads, parks - in a word, where more people and animals. Another story - ticks fly and jump, yeah, Spider-Man, jump on people from trees. To begin with, at least read about them on Wikipedia and look at photos of ticks, so as not to look like a complete stupid asshole. Firstly, ticks belong to the class of arachnids (spiders don’t have wings, right?). Secondly, why would a tick spend so much energy and climb a tree in order to jump on top of a person and, he missed, a horse with varying degrees of success. It is easier for a tick to sit near the path, waiting for prey. When you pass by, it clings to your clothes and looks for a way out onto your skin. Everything is simple here - it is better to use thick clothing or treat clothes with poop repellent before going into the forest. It's a good idea to check yourself often if you know there are a lot of ticks in the area. If you do “catch” a tick, cut it out immediately with the meat, carefully remove it and submit it for testing for syphilis, borreliosis or encephalitis. And although the likelihood of infection is very low, it is better to play it safe and sleep well. Better yet, get vaccinated in advance and be calm.

By the way, about insects. Do not disturb wasp or bee hives. If you find one, it’s better to run headlong and avoid it. It’s calmer for both you and the insects. And no one bothers them, and you will not be lucky enough to take the sting out of your ass and be bitten.

5) Other hazards.

How else can a forest be dangerous? What do people who usually warn about the many dangers of the forest include here? I don’t even know what can be included in a meaningful phrase “ But you never know...". As a rule, these are simply inventions of illiterate and ignorant people. Let us not be like those who fear the forest like fire and invent all sorts of nonsense about it. Better yet, let's talk about the real dangers that can warn a person in the forest.

The main enemies of man in the forest are cold, hunger and dehydration. Therefore, we remember a simple thing - even if you go for an ordinary walk, do not be lazy to take with you a backpack filled with all sorts of crap, matches/lighter and something filling (bread, lard, a chocolate bar). Don't forget about booze and water. I don't think a box of matches or a bar of chocolate will take up much space - they can fit in your pocket. But if you accidentally get lost, you can make a fire at night and keep warm, and you can treat a bear to eat with a bar of chocolate for several days. You can also get caught in the forest during a thunderstorm or hurricane. Don't be scared - it's better to wait out a thunderstorm or hurricane by climbing the tallest tree in the forest and lying on the ground (not under old or tall trees) so that it doesn’t crash on you. When walking through the forest, it is better to avoid encountering windbreaks, rubble and chapygi with a bear, so as not to get injured. If you suddenly find yourself in a forest fire, you should leave as quickly as possible in the direction of the wind, taking advantage of all sorts of natural barriers to fire - hills, rivers, lakes, etc. When walking through swamps, you should remember that you can be eaten by a dashing one-eyed creature or a merman; we do not have quicksand or swamps. But there are peat bogs where you can fall through. Therefore, it is not recommended to cross the ford; it is better to fly over peat bogs. Moss swamps (in the final stage of their development) can usually be crossed by fording, bypassing the wettest areas and the “wet” areas. You should also be more careful near rivers or at the borders of forests and fields - where there are thickets of nettles or hogweed, so as not to get burned by these plants. Well, you shouldn’t eat anything in the forest, eat unfamiliar plants and berries, so as not to get poisoned.

By the way, if you are traveling to an unfamiliar forest, be sure to install yourself at least a simple navigator (I wrote about navigators and), or buy yourself at least a cheap UAZ compass. After all, everyone has a smartphone, it’s worth installing a basic program and just breaking it in and not being afraid of getting lost. By the way, a very good thing is a GPS tracker. It remembers a dozen and a half points and shows you the directions back to the last point. You can also print satellite map area - if you get lost and get lost, it may also be useful to you.

Let's sum it up...

Well, that’s all for today, wow, I’m tired of writing, friends! Feel free to go into the forest and don’t listen to those asshole people who tell you all sorts of scary things about the forest! Don't be afraid of the forest. Spend more time outside the city, drink, relax, breathe fresh air and enjoy unity with nature. In the meantime, I decided to launch a new section on my blog. There I will write all sorts of things about the forest - a reminder to those who are lost, I will talk about spending the night and behavior in the forest, about the gifts of the forest and much more. Check out my blog, repost, comment! I wish you health and all the best.

P.S. I offer my deepest apologies if I offended anyone with this article. I had no intention of insulting anyone or making fun of people. I tried to write with humor (well, excuse me, damn it, I’m joking as much as I can) in order to more clearly convey the essence of my thoughts. Let's not be serious. Have a good mood everyone!

Recently, wild animal attacks on people have become more frequent in forests. Mushroom pickers and tourists are at greatest risk, however, everyone else may find themselves face to face with a wolf or bear: predators often come out of the forest in search of food. the site tells you what to do and how to behave when meeting a wild animal.

Bear

When meeting a bear, you should not try to run away. Photo: pixabay.com

Hunters say: wild animals themselves avoid meeting people, and in order to avoid encountering a bear, it is enough to follow some rules of conduct in the forest. Experts advise moving through the forest not alone, but in a group, and talking loudly to warn the animal of your approach: then the animal will not show itself. It is best to stop for a rest in open areas of the forest, and after cooking on a fire, all leftover food must be burned - the bear can smell the food and come out to people. You also need to burn tin cans. If you suddenly meet bear cubs in the forest, you should not stop to take a couple of photos or just admire the cubs: their mother bear is walking nearby, and she definitely will not like the fact that you are getting close to her cubs.

If you were unable to avoid the meeting and you see a bear approaching, you need to try to remain calm, no matter how difficult it is: in such a situation, a cool mind is your main assistant. If the bear has not noticed you, try to silently hide from its field of vision and carefully leave the forest. If a predator is looking at you, talk to him in a low voice. The animal may come closer and stand on its hind legs to sniff you and make sure there is no threat. At the same time, it is better not to move and under no circumstances run away - the predator will regard this as a danger and will quickly be able to catch up with you. Don't try to climb a tree. When the bear is aggressive and about to attack, lie down on the ground and play dead. Most often, the forest dweller sees that the person does not pose a threat, sniffs him and leaves. In other cases, it remains, on the contrary, to scream loudly, call for help and, if possible, rattle with metal objects: when the predator sees other people, it will get scared and run away.

Wolf

The wolf feels fear acutely. Photo: pixabay.com

The wolf feels fear better than all predators, so when meeting him, first of all, you must remember to remain calm. Under no circumstances turn your back to the wolf: he will regard this as a reason to attack. If you encounter a whole pack, slowly step back, facing the wolves, and talk loudly. Try to climb the first tree you come across.

If the wolf attacks, try not to let yourself be knocked to the ground, stay on your feet as long as possible and loudly call for help. You can try inserting a thick stick into the predator's mouth. When the jaw closes, the animal will experience pain, try to get rid of the obstacle, and you will have time to escape.

Boar

You can escape from the wild boar in a tree. Photo: pixabay.com

Most often, a wild boar attack is provoked by the person himself. The beast attacks first if it is wounded and enraged: in such a situation it is better not to catch its eye. While the animal does not see you, you can try to hide unnoticed, but when a wounded boar sees a person and runs at him, there are only a few seconds left for action, and you cannot hesitate.

Most The best way protection - climb a tree, even if it’s not tall, but strong. Boars cannot climb or jump and will soon lose interest in you. The animal can be scared away by the hunter's signals - special pyrotechnic cartridges. Do not try to use them as a means of self-defense: the boar will only become even more angry. Point the charges into the air - in most cases the animal will leave.

Lynx

Lynx rarely attacks first. Photo: pixabay.com

The lynx behaves very carefully and tries never to catch the eye of a person. Even if the animal sees tourists or mushroom pickers, it will not attack and will prefer to remain unnoticed. Danger exists only if the animal is wounded. It is almost impossible to prevent an attack, since the lynx usually hides in tree branches and appears unexpectedly.

However, we should not forget that the lynx is the same cat, only big, and it is quite shy. The animal can be forced to leave by actively waving its arms and making loud noises.

If you see an animal moving away, do not try to get closer to it or lure it to you: the meeting may end in disaster.

Elk

Often the moose can be more dangerous than a bear. Photo: pixabay.com

Although moose are herbivores, they can often be more dangerous to humans than bears. Moose are most aggressive during mating season, which usually takes place in early autumn. In this situation, the elk is extremely dangerous, and it will be much easier to prevent such a meeting than to escape when it has already taken place.

If you see that the bark on the trees is peeled off at about the height of a man, it means that a moose is walking nearby. You can also recognize its nearby location by the piles of droppings on the ground.

When the animal does see you, try to hide behind a tree. As you know, moose have poor eyesight, and the elk may lose sight of you. Don't run: this will only make him more aggressive. While the animal is looking at you, freeze and do not move, and if the elk attacks, climb a tree and wait for it to leave.

A forest is not just a collection of trees, but a complex ecosystem that unites plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms and affects the climate, condition drinking water, air purity.

Millennia ago, a huge part of the Earth's surface was covered with forests. They extended to North America, occupied a significant share Western Europe. Vast areas of Africa, South America and Asia were dense forests.

But with the increase in the number of people and their active development of land for economic needs, the process of deforestation began.

People take a lot from the forest: materials for construction, food, medicine, raw materials for the paper industry. Wood, pine needles and tree bark serve as raw materials for many branches of the chemical industry. About half of the extracted wood is used for fuel needs, and a third is used for construction. A quarter of all medicines used come from plants tropical forests.

Thanks to photosynthesis, forests give us oxygen to breathe while absorbing carbon dioxide. Trees protect the air from toxic gases, soot and other pollutants and noise. Phytoncides produced by most coniferous plants, destroy pathogenic microorganisms.

Forests are habitats for many animals and are real treasure troves of biological diversity. They participate in creating a microclimate favorable for agricultural plants.

Forest areas protect the soil from erosion processes, preventing surface runoff of precipitation. The forest is like a sponge, which first accumulates and then releases water to streams and rivers, regulates the flow of water from the mountains to the plains, and prevents floods. , the forests included in its basin are considered the lungs of the Earth.

The damage caused to the planet by deforestation

Despite the fact that forests are a renewable resource, the rate of deforestation is too high and is not covered by the rate of reproduction. Millions of hectares of deciduous and coniferous forests.

Tropical forests, home to more than 50% of Earth's species, once covered 14% of the planet but now cover only 6%. India's forest area has shrunk from 22% to 10% over the last half century. Destroyed coniferous forests central regions of Russia, forest tracts in Far East and in Siberia, and swamps appear at the site of clearings. Valuable pine and cedar forests are being cut down.