Forest hiking: approaching wild animals

The golden rule to remember while enjoying the beauty and freedom of the Wild is: “Do no harm!”

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."  John Muir

Hiking in the forests is a fascinating, useful and enjoyable journey for people of all ages. Staying in the forest and collecting its gifts brings people joy and strengthens their health. Getting into the forest, we break away from the boring, everyday life and plunge into the world of beautiful landscapes, the world of forest inhabitants, events, and phenomena, adventures and romance that happen only there.

Hiking strengthens like no other sport. It is a wonderful and effective means of cultivating health and strength in a person. One would not be afraid of catching a cold in the wind or getting wet in the rain if they spend lots of time in a forest. Moreover, this type of tourism, with its heavy, but evenly distributed in time loads contributes to curing certain diseases. It helps gain a number of very valuable skills, while a lot of the knowledge already acquired during lessons of geography and biology, mathematics and astronomy, for example, finally come in handy.

Going to the forest alone, with friends or with family, you need to have some knowledge and skills. It is also necessary to remember about encountering wild animals.

Wild animals try to avoid people, therefore, having smelled a person they tend to go away. Approaching wild animals, you need to keep calm and adhere to certain rules that will help you stay safe.

Wild animals will never react aggressively to humans and will most likely run away, only giving you a second or two to admire them. However, there are cases of aggressiveness, which are most often associated with abnormal behavior, ignorance of the habits of the animal or the presence of a disease in the animal. Attacks can occur in the case of a too close or sharp approach to the wounded animal or offspring, whose mother will always protect them from a possible threat.

When approaching wild animals, never make quick movements and actions that can cause aggression. If all the necessary rules are followed, your meeting with the animal will pass without dangerous consequences for you and for the animal as well.

Basic rules

• Dig up information on the animals which inhabit the territory.
• Try to walk in the direction of the wind.
• Do not throw food and garbage: firstly - it pollutes the environment, secondly - some animals will do anything to get food.
• Read the information on how you should behave in case of a certain wild animal approach: curl up or pretend to be dead, run away or climb a tree, etc.

General recommendations

• Stay away from the young of animals: approaching them infuriates parents.
• Do not think that small animals deliver less problems. Ticks, mosquitoes, spiders and so on will cause you a lot of inconvenience, so take all necessary measures: use special sprays, ointments and other means to protect yourself from insect bites.
• Remember that even the most harmless little wild animals can carry various diseases. Never touch them.

Hiking in the forests is great for broadening the horizons, enriching the spiritual life of people, and enjoying the beauty of nature. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to observe nature, make notes, sketches, and photos.
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Whatever animal you meet in the forest, you should always remember that it is not just an animal, but a creature that is used to surviving in these harsh conditions. You are a visitor in this place, where it has home, family and offspring. Your aim is not to disturb the critter families since you are the guest here.