A close-up snap

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Title – A close-up snapSource – The Metro
Date – 30th July 2009

During our workshop we look at many different aspects of

Travel Safety and even touch on the issue of danger from wild animals.

With ever more exotic destination being chosen by travellers, encounters with unfamiliar wild animals are increasingly more likely. From the prolific hunters of Africa (a list topped by the hippopotamus), to the marmots of Mongolia (which still carry plague), every continent has its own contenders for the list of ‘dangerous animals’. The feral dogs which in many parts of the world infected with Rabies and the snakes, spiders, scorpions, jellyfish, sharks, bears, big cats, buffalo, piranha and many other species which have been labelled as dangerous, can awake deeply ingrained phobias in many people.

We really try and get one message across; never forget these animals are wild!

In the UK, television, zoos and safari parks have tended to desensitise us to the real dangers. Television especially has a tendency to require more and more sensationalism. Presenters regularly approach wild animals to get themselves in-shot. What they don’t show is the planning, expert knowledge and the ‘safety net’ in place; or the real perspective which often means they are not actually as close as they seem.

I have visited many places and heard stories of deadly encounters with wild animals; in South Africa, the Japanese tourists who climbed out of their car to have their photograph taken in front of a pride of lions ‘sleeping’ off the midday sun under a tree; in the Red Sea, the diver experiencing the ‘ultimate thrill’ of feeding sharks only to end up being bitten themselves; in the USA, the campers asleep in their tent mauled by a Grizzly, because they failed to clean up properly after dinner.

Wild animals should be respected and you should keep your distance. Remember when you leave the city / your hotel / the safety of your vehicle, you enter their environment, one which they have been adapting to for thousands of years.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance, Travel Health, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, and more.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.