This is the one I learnt as well. The (Again, generalised) addendum is that most predators don't want a fair fight, so if you can seem threatening, it will rather run away than pick a fight with you.
I'd say (as a farmer) running away from cattle is not necessarily a good idea, unless you can out run them to a point of safety. The problem with cattle is that they are very curious, and will approach things of interest to them, and if you turn and run they'll run after you, not necessarily as an attack, just as playful behaviour, and they could easily trample you 'by mistake'. In such circumstances standing your ground, even moving towards them, shouting loudly, waving your arms and a stick if you have one should stop them dead in their tracks. However, not all cattle approaching humans are just curious, as mentioned in the clip if they are mothers with calves at foot they can purposely attack to defend their calves, especially if dogs are present, and shouting and waving arms is unlikely to stop them. In which case running might be the best bet, IF you can reach safety before they catch up with you. If you have a dog on a lead, let it go, they may go for that instead of you, and it stands a far better chance of surviving (being faster and more agile) than you do. Many people killed by cows have been trying to protect their dogs, which survived, but they didn't. Cattle are surprisingly dangerous animals, possibly because no one thinks they are that dangerous, and don't take the same precautions they would towards other more obvious killers.
When you are being charged, you know you are being charged and you should run. It is immediately obvious (at least to me) when they are acting aggressively, compared to being curious. Probably a good rule to run away if you felt threatened, because there is a good chance that if it LOOKS like it is a threat it probably is.
That is fascinating, here in India we have cows everywhere. Like literally on the street, around our houses, I think I've never had a day when I haven't seen a cow. The cows here are much smaller than yours I think, and they're extremely calm. We just walk right past them and they don't really do anything, you can touch them if you like (I have) I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being attacked here
One thing to note with things like cows is if you Zig Zag while running they have a lot more trouble following you. I used to tease cows as a child and I realized if they ever charge you just strafe off to the side they cant get you.
@@StreakyBaconMan Remember a cow can travel at twice the speed you can, (four legs better than two etc), so best to stay out of the field in the first place. Bulls are interesting in as much as they close their eyes when they put their heads down and charge, so one should run away at right angles to their trajectory. I have come into "conflict" with both and to be honest the bull is a better bet, although both can potentially kill you. So you don't place yourself in that position.
Some friends I know live in the Eastern part of Central Finland. They live in a fairly rural municipality. During winter, a few years back, the mother went for a walk and on the way back stopped off the local pizza takeaway. She got 3 different pizzas for the family and headed home, which is some mile and half away, along a rural road in the dark of evening. After just over a mile she heard noises in the forest. Soon a wolf appeared, it was glaring at her. Soon two more appeared and began to circle her. She thought hard forca moment. Opened the first pizza box, ripped off a piece of pizza and threw it at one of the wolves. It sniffed it and then started eating it. She then started ripping off more pieces and throwing them in the same place. The wolves went mad for the pizza bits and actually started fighting each other. She then started to run while ripping more bits off and throwing them behind her. She actually ran home with the wolves stopping to eat the pizza bits on the journey. When she got home the family were not impressed with her excuse for not having pizzas, that was until they looked out the window and saw the wolves in the garden, obviously waiting for more pizza.
@@PianoKwanMan The kid's teacher at school the next day did not fall for "wolves ate my homework" until they looked out the school window and saw the wolves (lured by pizza crusts).
Decades ago, I was running in the California hills and encountered a HUGE stag (at least six feet tall) with HUGE antlers. The other deer in his group bolted into the forest, but he was standing in the middle of the trail and not intimidated by me one little bit. I just very slowly backed away and he let me live.
Last year when I was Elk hunting, I came across a male steer, and a cow and a calf in the middle of nowhere. I didn't know what to do, so I held totally still. They looked right at me, then came over to me to check me out. The bull stood between me and the cow and calf. He was about 20 feet away, staring right at me. I didn't know what to do, hold still or move. I decided holding still just made them more interested in me, so I should do something. I figured they probably had an owner, so I just started talking to them. "Ok, you found me, a crazy guy alone in the woods, go on, head back home". They turned around and walked off. I've never been so scared in my whole life. And that includes the 2 years I lived in New York City.
Cows can be very curious. The animal researcher Temple Grandin would lay down in the cowpen, and they would come over to see just what the hell she was doing. I have had them come over to me or a coworker and get to within a few feet, just to watch us dig a hole.
The standard advice for encountering rattlesnakes here in Southern California, at least from the 90's until the last time I heard it from a probably-authoritative source in the early-mid 2000's, was to: - Stop and stand very still as soon as you hear the rattle/buzz - DO NOT make any sudden movements. Don't turn around, don't leap back, don't yelp in surprise. - Take an instant to see it or assess its direction by ear. If you can't locate it, assume it's somewhere ahead of you in the direction you were walking (SOL if you just made a turn 😨) - VERRRYYY SLOOOWWWWLLYYYYY back away - Once at a reasonable distance, walk away more briskly and avoid the area; take a detour or circle around at a wide berth (I don't think a "reasonable distance" was ever well defined, but if you've seen it or estimated its distance, 2-3x that distance should be okay, or far enough that it doesn't rattle again if you (gently) slide your foot in the dirt or make a minor, fairly unthreatening movement and sound.) Most of that advice doesn't usually apply when you're dealing with a mother rattlesnake tending its babies, or a very young rattler on its own (which often haven't learned the habits we expect, and have much less fear of humans so won't rattle so soon, or haven't even developed a full rattler yet and will have no warning). All of this from basic "You like in Southern California so if you hike..." education as a kid, and advice before and during hikes with my father who grew up in Texas and Southern California. I haven't hiked snake areas in years, and I have no idea if the recommended action has changed since then - I should look that up. Please shoot me down if I have things wrong based on new recommendations.
I believe the advice has changed a few times over the past 20 years: from 2001-2009 the advice was if you hear a snake to start random fires all over the place and "smoke 'em out"; from 2009-2017 the advice was to give the snakes free healthcare and allow them to vote without requiring any ID; and the current advice is to build a wall and make the snakes pay for it.
I once got in the range of about 3 metres from a massive bee hive without noticing it. I don’t know how because as soon as I saw it to my right it sounded so loud. It had taken over a fell tree and a huge section of the log had gone yellow and Orange with honeycomb. It was quite impressive. I ran for it and luckily didn’t get stung and I don’t think they followed me for a bit. It’s strange because the bees in my garden are so friendly and I just want to pick them up but those ones were not happy.
And bad weather kills more livestock than wild predators, yet the predators get all the blame... I don't get our species. (But bloodthirsty cows... I can't help thinking back to that game, "West Of Loathing"...)
To be fair, that includes zebras, which are known for killing lions, and Grevys are particularly grumpy. Also includes hippos and elephants.. Not many zookeepers ever killed by duikers.
Bill Bailey looks like he enjoyed more than just a couple of hits from a bong before going into the studio.. infact there's a few of his appearances where he looks and sounds stoned...
This is the first time I have ever heard of the word "scarper". I am Canadian/American and now live in New Zealand. In the many years I have lived in NZ, I have never heard this word. A synonym might be "scram" or just simply "flee". As Mark Twain once said, "England and the US are two countries separated by a common language".
Hi Roger, It is actually derived from Rhyming slang....Scapa flow to Go which became just scarper. Scapa flow is a sheltered inlet in the Orkney islands that was used in the first and second world wars as a "relatively" safe harbour for ships of the Royal Navy.
Interesting, I fairly recently saw an interview with a dairy farmer who said you should stand still with cows and wait for them to get bored. He reckoned that cows a very curious and most the time they want to know if you’re something worth exploring, and movement makes them think you’re worth checking out. I know myself that if you start running they’ll chase you.
When I was in high school, I dated a girl who was raising a cow as an FFA project. When I went over to pick her up on our first date, the cow came over to the fence where near where I'd parked. I gave it a quick scratch behind the ears, and every time after that, if I didn't give her a scratch when I came over, she'd bellow at me until I did.
I would think that's different if the cow has a calf. Because then, it's less about curiosity, and more about being protective. And then you should run for the nearest fence.
@@Nixitur If they're coming toward you with the calf then they probably don't see you as a threat. It's when they think you are approaching the calf, not the other way around, that they get defensive. My neighbours cows and calves come over to the fence to greet me whenever I walk past their field, and it's never aggressive/defensive at all. My bulls, on the other hand, will start getting aggressive/defensive whenever they are 'near' the calves, despite having a couple of fences between their fields, and having never actually met the calves...
I was at a friend's farm and a Simmenthal heifer decided I was too close to her recently born calf. She decided to chase me unfortunately and nearly caught me at the farm gate which I managed to close. She snorted at me, eye to eye, from over the gate. I'm 180cm tall. My friend came over, laughing. "Meet Aggro!" He said. Thanks mate........Simmenthal's are almost always placid and don't mind if you walk up to a herd of them. They'll calmly make way for you to pass between them.
With the wolves, the most likely outcome is that you won't have to do anything, as they'll probably scarper away from you before you have a chance to decide. Wolves tend to scare off very easily from humans - probably for good reason.
@@dbfi01 Keep still as opposed to scarper. The important bit is to make sure you keep facing the wolf, so turn towards the closest one if there are several, and maybe even push on (not too agressively though). Unless very hungry, most wolves will not attack a hulking human who stands his ground, as indeed they do hunt by tiring out and harassing their prey. When you think about it, they are actually pretty light when compared to humans, so the power advantage is not necessarily where one might think it is.
@@dbfi01 Wolves generally hunt bigger and tougher animals than themselves so rely on wearing them out before risking going in for the kill. Out of self-preservation wolves generally won't attack any prey animal that fights back because one-on-one in close combat a wolf will lose and be killed by its intended prey most of the time. So get your back to a tree and look as aggressive and threatening as possible and they will eventually give up.
In my experience, Bulls are surprisingly placid so long as you calmly walk around them and don't approach or make sudden movements. It's the cows that will steadily advance on you if they can see you, no matter what you really do. And they can move with shocking force.
From what I've seen, bulls are generally pretty chill as long as you don't annoy them. But if that herd mentality kicks in and they stampede--oh, boy. It's a tsunami of muscle, hooves, and horns, and they steamroll right over anything & everything. Worst thing you can do is stand still. Best thing: scarper parallel to the herd. If you're lucky, they won't notice you at all. If they do notice you and your luck holds out, they'll assume you're just another participant in the stampede. Gradually veer away from them and you might escape intact. Rattlesnakes generally bite as a last resort (as they see it) as the downtime while they replenish their venom leaves them vulnerable. They're doing you a favor when they rattle, so stop in your tracks and don't move for a while. Remember, they're essentially blind & deaf, so they rely on vibrations and heat signatures to draw a bead on you. Once you've both calmed down a bit, turn and tiptoe away very slowly and softly. You should be fine.
I got an evil and terrifying stare from a bull once when I entered it’s field. It was along a public footpath so I assumed it was docile or something and kept going but it was charging about like a maniac once I had got past it. All the cows I’ve met have been pretty calm.
Don’t run from cows - they’re incredibly curious & likely to follow you. Make yourself as big as possible, slowly wave arms, back away - or do what my brother & I do and have a chat & scratch their top nots😊
If a cow is acting aggressively then you most certainly should run. There is a difference between a cow approaching you out of curiosity and one charging you to attack you.
Having worked with both horses and cows, I can tell you that anything that outweighs you by that much, plus has a mind of its own is DANGEROUS. Simply put, if you can't bench press it off of you if needed, it's a serious threat. And this isn't even considering what a nervous horse or cow can do to you with a kick.
About cow injuries: They're big animals and they can jump if they're afraid or in pain. That's why it's important to dehorn them, because they can kill each other with them. But injuries to humans are things like broken bones from being stepped on, kicked, or head butted.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but... I seem to recall there never being any recorded human deaths by wolves. They are much too afraid or cautious to bother.
On a holiday in Thailand, I was being jumped by roughly 20 monkeys trying to steal food out of my hand (a chocolate milk carton if you must know), tried showing my teeth and raising my eyebrows, I can confirm it didn’t work.
As much as its best to avoid senselessly killing snakes, if you're facing down a pissed off brown snake you'll need option three - "shovel". Those cunts will chase you if you make them angry.
Hardly surprising really, there is only one species of poisonous snake native to the UK, and you'd need to eat at least six of them in quick succession before the poison approached fatal levels.
"We're afraid of bulls, but cows are actually more dangerous". And that's why cows are not used in bullfights, they're more unpredictable and learn with their mistakes, meaning that after a few times of being tricked by the cape, they'll aim to the man.
An adult brown bear can't climb a tree, it'll just keep shoving at the tree to try and make you fall out, or push the tree over. They're very strong. A black bear will climb up to get you if it's really pissed off.
I saw a nature show on wolves years ago. They had a young antelope, I think, surrounded, because it refused to run. It stood its ground and they acted confused, but kept provoking it to run. It finally did and they got it.
It depends on what kind of snake. Rattlesnakes can't strike anything standing still, and Cobras can't strike anything moving. Also you NEVER run from a dog. They love to chase. If you run, they WILL chase you.
Yes, canines will chase you. As in the movie Dancing With Wolves, the scene which gave the movie its title. My working line German Shepherd will do exactly the same. I'll make her sit, walk away for 100 yards or so then as soon as I run away she's off. Nips at my heels to try and bring me down. It's a lot of fun!
@@DanDownunda8888 Dogs, horses and humans share a ligament in the neck (nuchal ligament) which is particular to running animals. Dogs are a bit quicker than their owners, especially over shorter distances!
I was once charged by a herd of cows while walking with some friends on a scout camp- we scarpered and jumped a fence and survived so yeah. Run away haha
I need to hear more. Bears (I believe it's run for Brown, stand for Black). Elephants and Gorillas? (Stand I think.) Skunks? (Stand) Aligators (run in a zigzag - they are fast in a straight line.)
Basically yes. Scamper is a bit more jolly ("look at those baby lambs, scampering about the field") Scarper is more like "Quick, let's scarper before the police get here". The origins are from rhyming slang. Scapa Flow (pronounced "Scarper") is an inlet in the Orkney Islands north of Mainland Scotland. In rhyming slang Scapa Flow = Go, and it got shortened to Scarper over time and it's in general use throughout the UK.
@@hunterwilk It's a little old-fashioned now but Americans have "dukes" as in "put up your dukes" (your fists, to fight), which comes from VERY roundabout rhyming slang (hands being "forks", which became "Duke of York"s which got shortened to "dukes"). It's absolutely bonkers.
I don't know if anyone has been mugged before. The mugger is terrified of their victim. Almost always when confronted by a predator the correct choice is to become very large and loud. This generally only applies to mammalian/avian predators. Reptiles do not have the same reaction. You have been chosen for predation because you looked easier than everyone else, make yourself less easy and most predators will bail.
I live in bear country you make as much noise and commotion as possible. With big cats they’ve always told us to stand your ground because if you run it triggers their hunting response.
Ummm not sure that’s accurate with snakes, depends on the species and how close you are. If you’re in the strike range…slowly move out of the strike range. Some venomous species do have pits to detect heat so they can absolutely still see your thermal profile if you don’t move. But if you’re not in the strike range you can scarper off and you will be able to outrun your constrictors, rattle snakes, cobras. If it’s a black mamba you’re fucked mate, they can outrun you and they always envenomate. (Some species have a “dry bite where venomous species will not inject venom, bc they want to save it for prey) And some cobras can spit projectile venom in a stream in your eyes…so I would scarper off bc they are deadly accurate. I’m in America though so not sure if you Brits have venomous snakes? I’d be curious if so. But they’re like bees and don’t want anything to do with you unless you’re mucking with it.
We have literally nothing dangerous here. Cows are the only thing that can kill you just because they’re large. The snakes are small and are petrified of you here and there’s no venom at all. I used to go hunting for them as a kid but I reckon I only ever saw one or two. I did have a pet one though.
Ah you see now. I live in a part of the world where there are tonnes of monkeys, and we were specifically told NOT to bear your teeth at them and that it's the worst thing to do ....
I just wonder if these tips work in real life. I almost got bitten by an Black Adder snake once. I got to close and he was only trying to protect the female snake. I jumped away and the snake retreated. If I had stood still the snake would have bit me!
I think it’s different with different snakes. I know rattlesnakes you should definitely be still but I reckon if they’re being territorial or protecting kin then definitely get away because that’s there primary problem with you. I’m no animal expect, not even an animal amateur, though.
@@vladdythebear5872 lol just the emoji with his hands in the air like "fuck...i dont know" & laughing emoji's...🤦♂️🤦♂️ ::face palm:: Cuz i just realized I'm a grown nan who used the word emoji twice in one sentence lol
Good lord Stephen Fry! Wolves are comically timid around people. I lived in the North Woods of Wisconsin for over a decade and the stories of wolves are all about how easy they are to scare. Rarely do they kill livestock. I even had a professor who tells of a research camp in which he slept out of the tent, and woke up, middle of the night, with a pack of wolves snooping his sleeping bag and campsite, and he just yelled a few short seconds at them, and they bolted away. He went right back to sleep and thought nothing of it. This image of wolves being ferocious mindless killers is from old stories of wolves during droughts most likely. Back when people depended so heavily on the land immediately around them, that when drought struck all animals where eating outside their usual diet. Also not to mention different wolf packs are remarkably different in personality and behavior. In yellowstone, in the Rockies, out in the western forests etc, when there is drought and fish are stocked low in the waters, bears are the first to cross that line and have a taste for humans before wolves will. Check the length and timing of drought or any food scarcity issues with wildlife out west before hiking. Humans are least preferred dietary choice for nearly all wildlife. For god-sake if bears and wolves really did like human flesh so much, there’d hardly be any humans alive at all where bears and wolves live. They can smell you miles away and they can also cover 10x the distance faster than a human running at full speed. They could be on you killing you before you even realize they are near. You arent dead while hiking because they simply dont prefer you and are simply prone to timid reactions when their bellies are full, which is most of the time. :)
The editing around the aside of Bill's monkeys wasn't very well done. Stephen is asking Bill about his monkeys, and then without hesitation or pause, asks "Cows?" and it sounds like he's asking Bill if he either has cows or has house trained his cows.
If you're walking for "pleasure" amongst wolves or bears, without having a readilyy cocked and loaded .303 rifle or higher caliber, you deserve to become lunch. As for being shoulder deep in a cow's "fanny" earning you a kick in the face, no, that's what the birthing stall shackles are for because saving the calf and cow from breach birth death and damage should never earn anyone a kick in the face from the cow. Been there, done that
Basic rule. If it's a predator, stand your ground. If it's a territorial herbivore, get out of there ASAP
This is the one I learnt as well. The (Again, generalised) addendum is that most predators don't want a fair fight, so if you can seem threatening, it will rather run away than pick a fight with you.
@@esbenandersen5706 "...predators don't want a *fair fight* ...". They don't want to fight at all, they want to eat.
@@avinotion Too true
@Viktor Birkeland I wonder if they recognise weapons. Not guns, but spears, axes, clubs, etc. Do they take that into consideration?
@@jabloko992 my dog seems to, if i make finger guns, he seems to be scared of it as though i could actually shoot him.
And at 1:53, Stephen does his impression of the Crazy Old Crank at the End of the Lane, shouting at those Damn Kids.
Yes, that's his tamest shouting, With his Wellington impression he'd become the pack leader of the most intimidated pack of wolfes ever. BAAAAH!
I'd say (as a farmer) running away from cattle is not necessarily a good idea, unless you can out run them to a point of safety.
The problem with cattle is that they are very curious, and will approach things of interest to them, and if you turn and run they'll run after you, not necessarily as an attack, just as playful behaviour, and they could easily trample you 'by mistake'. In such circumstances standing your ground, even moving towards them, shouting loudly, waving your arms and a stick if you have one should stop them dead in their tracks.
However, not all cattle approaching humans are just curious, as mentioned in the clip if they are mothers with calves at foot they can purposely attack to defend their calves, especially if dogs are present, and shouting and waving arms is unlikely to stop them. In which case running might be the best bet, IF you can reach safety before they catch up with you. If you have a dog on a lead, let it go, they may go for that instead of you, and it stands a far better chance of surviving (being faster and more agile) than you do. Many people killed by cows have been trying to protect their dogs, which survived, but they didn't.
Cattle are surprisingly dangerous animals, possibly because no one thinks they are that dangerous, and don't take the same precautions they would towards other more obvious killers.
When you are being charged, you know you are being charged and you should run. It is immediately obvious (at least to me) when they are acting aggressively, compared to being curious. Probably a good rule to run away if you felt threatened, because there is a good chance that if it LOOKS like it is a threat it probably is.
That is fascinating, here in India we have cows everywhere. Like literally on the street, around our houses, I think I've never had a day when I haven't seen a cow. The cows here are much smaller than yours I think, and they're extremely calm. We just walk right past them and they don't really do anything, you can touch them if you like (I have) I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being attacked here
One thing to note with things like cows is if you Zig Zag while running they have a lot more trouble following you. I used to tease cows as a child and I realized if they ever charge you just strafe off to the side they cant get you.
Cattle are REALLY dangerous. Gave me food poisoning once.
@@StreakyBaconMan Remember a cow can travel at twice the speed you can, (four legs better than two etc), so best to stay out of the field in the first place. Bulls are interesting in as much as they close their eyes when they put their heads down and charge, so one should run away at right angles to their trajectory. I have come into "conflict" with both and to be honest the bull is a better bet, although both can potentially kill you. So you don't place yourself in that position.
0:58 Stephen's attacking snake impression is very convincing
Impression? I thought he had an actual snake?!?
1:51 Who else was hoping Stephen would just shout “BAAAAH!”
Some friends I know live in the Eastern part of Central Finland. They live in a fairly rural municipality. During winter, a few years back, the mother went for a walk and on the way back stopped off the local pizza takeaway. She got 3 different pizzas for the family and headed home, which is some mile and half away, along a rural road in the dark of evening. After just over a mile she heard noises in the forest. Soon a wolf appeared, it was glaring at her. Soon two more appeared and began to circle her. She thought hard forca moment. Opened the first pizza box, ripped off a piece of pizza and threw it at one of the wolves. It sniffed it and then started eating it. She then started ripping off more pieces and throwing them in the same place. The wolves went mad for the pizza bits and actually started fighting each other. She then started to run while ripping more bits off and throwing them behind her. She actually ran home with the wolves stopping to eat the pizza bits on the journey. When she got home the family were not impressed with her excuse for not having pizzas, that was until they looked out the window and saw the wolves in the garden, obviously waiting for more pizza.
Actually, the trail of pizza pieces was so she could find her way back to the takeaway the next day and the wolves just wrecked it.
This sounded like a joke and I was waiting for a punchline
@@PianoKwanMan It really happened. I know a friend of the family in question 😃
@@PianoKwanMan The kid's teacher at school the next day did not fall for "wolves ate my homework" until they looked out the school window and saw the wolves (lured by pizza crusts).
Decades ago, I was running in the California hills and encountered a HUGE stag (at least six feet tall) with HUGE antlers. The other deer in his group bolted into the forest, but he was standing in the middle of the trail and not intimidated by me one little bit. I just very slowly backed away and he let me live.
Last year when I was Elk hunting, I came across a male steer, and a cow and a calf in the middle of nowhere. I didn't know what to do, so I held totally still. They looked right at me, then came over to me to check me out. The bull stood between me and the cow and calf. He was about 20 feet away, staring right at me.
I didn't know what to do, hold still or move. I decided holding still just made them more interested in me, so I should do something. I figured they probably had an owner, so I just started talking to them. "Ok, you found me, a crazy guy alone in the woods, go on, head back home". They turned around and walked off.
I've never been so scared in my whole life. And that includes the 2 years I lived in New York City.
Cows can be very curious. The animal researcher Temple Grandin would lay down in the cowpen, and they would come over to see just what the hell she was doing. I have had them come over to me or a coworker and get to within a few feet, just to watch us dig a hole.
@Molly McCullagh Because the vegan hunts barehanded to showcase their incredible strength.
wolves like their food while running - that's real fast food for ya
Boo
Boo
Boo-urns
Shite patter
Admit it, you all did the mouth thing.
Dribbleondo practice
I read this before the video, told myself I wouldn't do the mouth thing whatever it might be, forgot, and then did the mouth thing
I do the 'warding off wolves' thing - That's just something I do specially for Jehovas Witnesses
it works :D
Monkey see, monkey do.
I did it before since I knew that baring your teeth was a sign of aggression in monkeys and they’d probably leave me alone that way.
The standard advice for encountering rattlesnakes here in Southern California, at least from the 90's until the last time I heard it from a probably-authoritative source in the early-mid 2000's, was to:
- Stop and stand very still as soon as you hear the rattle/buzz
- DO NOT make any sudden movements. Don't turn around, don't leap back, don't yelp in surprise.
- Take an instant to see it or assess its direction by ear. If you can't locate it, assume it's somewhere ahead of you in the direction you were walking (SOL if you just made a turn 😨)
- VERRRYYY SLOOOWWWWLLYYYYY back away
- Once at a reasonable distance, walk away more briskly and avoid the area; take a detour or circle around at a wide berth
(I don't think a "reasonable distance" was ever well defined, but if you've seen it or estimated its distance, 2-3x that distance should be okay, or far enough that it doesn't rattle again if you (gently) slide your foot in the dirt or make a minor, fairly unthreatening movement and sound.)
Most of that advice doesn't usually apply when you're dealing with a mother rattlesnake tending its babies, or a very young rattler on its own (which often haven't learned the habits we expect, and have much less fear of humans so won't rattle so soon, or haven't even developed a full rattler yet and will have no warning).
All of this from basic "You like in Southern California so if you hike..." education as a kid, and advice before and during hikes with my father who grew up in Texas and Southern California. I haven't hiked snake areas in years, and I have no idea if the recommended action has changed since then - I should look that up. Please shoot me down if I have things wrong based on new recommendations.
WELL I'VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT YOU SHOULD GET NAKED AND WRESTLE THE RATTLESNAKE, AND I'VE NEVER BEEN BITTEN BY A RATTLESNAKE SO WHO IS MORE VALID
Same advice for Australia, stand still, no sudden movements, gradually, very slowly walk away. Slight difference is that we come back with a shovel.
I believe the advice has changed a few times over the past 20 years: from 2001-2009 the advice was if you hear a snake to start random fires all over the place and "smoke 'em out"; from 2009-2017 the advice was to give the snakes free healthcare and allow them to vote without requiring any ID; and the current advice is to build a wall and make the snakes pay for it.
What does it matter if you yelp? Snakes have no ears.
@@skullsaintdead true
Love Stephen's "scaring off wolves" bit...
Bees: scarper
If you're stung you've been marked as the enemy and you have to get out of their range of scent.
Going underwater will not help you.
I once got in the range of about 3 metres from a massive bee hive without noticing it. I don’t know how because as soon as I saw it to my right it sounded so loud. It had taken over a fell tree and a huge section of the log had gone yellow and Orange with honeycomb. It was quite impressive. I ran for it and luckily didn’t get stung and I don’t think they followed me for a bit. It’s strange because the bees in my garden are so friendly and I just want to pick them up but those ones were not happy.
Hoofstock have killed more zookeepers than predator species by a mile. Bloodthirsty, them cows.
They like themselves good human burgers >:D
And bad weather kills more livestock than wild predators, yet the predators get all the blame... I don't get our species.
(But bloodthirsty cows... I can't help thinking back to that game, "West Of Loathing"...)
To be fair, that includes zebras, which are known for killing lions, and Grevys are particularly grumpy. Also includes hippos and elephants.. Not many zookeepers ever killed by duikers.
Makes sense: The predators get free food with no effort by leaving the zookeepers alone, so why would they ruin that by killing the keepers?
I was once completely surrounded by a large herd of rowdy cows. It was terrifying.
Were they mad? (rimshot!)
I forgot to ask them
@@andyboreland I don't think they would admit it.
Were you at a feminist rally?
@Molly McCullagh reminds me of my movie with Judi Dench
Bill Bailey looks like he enjoyed more than just a couple of hits from a bong before going into the studio.. infact there's a few of his appearances where he looks and sounds stoned...
That’s just Bill Bailey
Part 2 would be great, seems QUITE INTERESTING
This reminded me of a video I saw of a guy was trying to catch a freight train and about 100 cows came running at him. It was terrifying.
Actually depends on the type of snake...
This is the first time I have ever heard of the word "scarper". I am Canadian/American and now live in New Zealand. In the many years I have lived in NZ, I have never heard this word. A synonym might be "scram" or just simply "flee". As Mark Twain once said, "England and the US are two countries separated by a common language".
Hi Roger, It is actually derived from Rhyming slang....Scapa flow to Go which became just scarper. Scapa flow is a sheltered inlet in the Orkney islands that was used in the first and second world wars as a "relatively" safe harbour for ships of the Royal Navy.
Interesting, I fairly recently saw an interview with a dairy farmer who said you should stand still with cows and wait for them to get bored. He reckoned that cows a very curious and most the time they want to know if you’re something worth exploring, and movement makes them think you’re worth checking out. I know myself that if you start running they’ll chase you.
When I was in high school, I dated a girl who was raising a cow as an FFA project. When I went over to pick her up on our first date, the cow came over to the fence where near where I'd parked. I gave it a quick scratch behind the ears, and every time after that, if I didn't give her a scratch when I came over, she'd bellow at me until I did.
I would think that's different if the cow has a calf. Because then, it's less about curiosity, and more about being protective. And then you should run for the nearest fence.
You should never enter a field with cows in it without a plan for escaping; Being near a fence or something you can climb/use to hide.
@@Nixitur If they're coming toward you with the calf then they probably don't see you as a threat. It's when they think you are approaching the calf, not the other way around, that they get defensive. My neighbours cows and calves come over to the fence to greet me whenever I walk past their field, and it's never aggressive/defensive at all.
My bulls, on the other hand, will start getting aggressive/defensive whenever they are 'near' the calves, despite having a couple of fences between their fields, and having never actually met the calves...
3:28 That would probably be a very good time to disown your dog. "Who are you? I've never seen you before in my life!"
I was at a friend's farm and a Simmenthal heifer decided I was too close to her recently born calf. She decided to chase me unfortunately and nearly caught me at the farm gate which I managed to close. She snorted at me, eye to eye, from over the gate. I'm 180cm tall. My friend came over, laughing. "Meet Aggro!" He said. Thanks mate........Simmenthal's are almost always placid and don't mind if you walk up to a herd of them. They'll calmly make way for you to pass between them.
Had a steer approach me, waggling its head. Did the "look big" thing. It worked. But the steer wasn't actually "charging" per se.
@1:51 when i had to wake up at 6am in the winter, to go to school
With the wolves, the most likely outcome is that you won't have to do anything, as they'll probably scarper away from you before you have a chance to decide. Wolves tend to scare off very easily from humans - probably for good reason.
Also Stephen says the answer is keep still, but then he says you should make noises and throw stones... So which one is it Stephen?
Every animal should fear humans. Humans are the most dangerous animals on the planet.
@@dbfi01 Keep still as opposed to scarper. The important bit is to make sure you keep facing the wolf, so turn towards the closest one if there are several, and maybe even push on (not too agressively though). Unless very hungry, most wolves will not attack a hulking human who stands his ground, as indeed they do hunt by tiring out and harassing their prey. When you think about it, they are actually pretty light when compared to humans, so the power advantage is not necessarily where one might think it is.
@@dbfi01 Wolves generally hunt bigger and tougher animals than themselves so rely on wearing them out before risking going in for the kill. Out of self-preservation wolves generally won't attack any prey animal that fights back because one-on-one in close combat a wolf will lose and be killed by its intended prey most of the time. So get your back to a tree and look as aggressive and threatening as possible and they will eventually give up.
@@MadManchou
ruclips.net/video/r76GJDP0uWQ/видео.html
Actual footage. :)
In my experience, Bulls are surprisingly placid so long as you calmly walk around them and don't approach or make sudden movements. It's the cows that will steadily advance on you if they can see you, no matter what you really do. And they can move with shocking force.
Mines the opposite. Bulls seem fine for a year or maybe two, but after that they seem waaaay grumpier than cows.
From what I've seen, bulls are generally pretty chill as long as you don't annoy them. But if that herd mentality kicks in and they stampede--oh, boy. It's a tsunami of muscle, hooves, and horns, and they steamroll right over anything & everything. Worst thing you can do is stand still. Best thing: scarper parallel to the herd. If you're lucky, they won't notice you at all. If they do notice you and your luck holds out, they'll assume you're just another participant in the stampede. Gradually veer away from them and you might escape intact.
Rattlesnakes generally bite as a last resort (as they see it) as the downtime while they replenish their venom leaves them vulnerable. They're doing you a favor when they rattle, so stop in your tracks and don't move for a while. Remember, they're essentially blind & deaf, so they rely on vibrations and heat signatures to draw a bead on you. Once you've both calmed down a bit, turn and tiptoe away very slowly and softly. You should be fine.
I got an evil and terrifying stare from a bull once when I entered it’s field. It was along a public footpath so I assumed it was docile or something and kept going but it was charging about like a maniac once I had got past it. All the cows I’ve met have been pretty calm.
So don't try to run away from the snake fast.. run away so slow, it doesn't notice.
Somebody needs to make a more comprehensive list of British and American slang/euphemisms so we can all get on the same page.
@6Q4 Ninja shes very cute
Google
@@KurtUnger no.
i once heard an American say "those pants make her fanny look great" as someone from England i was speechless for a bit till i looked it up
@@jasminejo2424 whats the red lorrie yellow lorrie thing about?
Don’t run from cows - they’re incredibly curious & likely to follow you. Make yourself as big as possible, slowly wave arms, back away - or do what my brother & I do and have a chat & scratch their top nots😊
If a cow is acting aggressively then you most certainly should run. There is a difference between a cow approaching you out of curiosity and one charging you to attack you.
Always have a plan of escape when entering a field with animals that weigh 5-20 times your own bodyweight.
Having worked with both horses and cows, I can tell you that anything that outweighs you by that much, plus has a mind of its own is DANGEROUS.
Simply put, if you can't bench press it off of you if needed, it's a serious threat.
And this isn't even considering what a nervous horse or cow can do to you with a kick.
Best Advice my Dad ever gave me "dogs and Dolphins, punch 'em in the nose"..
About cow injuries: They're big animals and they can jump if they're afraid or in pain. That's why it's important to dehorn them, because they can kill each other with them. But injuries to humans are things like broken bones from being stepped on, kicked, or head butted.
So *that's* why alcoholics never get eaten by wolves!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but... I seem to recall there never being any recorded human deaths by wolves. They are much too afraid or cautious to bother.
Key thing with running away from cows is to run to the nearest fence, you wont outrun a cow for long.
I've seen a cow jump a fence.
@@chaos.corner I've seen a cow jump over the moon.
On a holiday in Thailand, I was being jumped by roughly 20 monkeys trying to steal food out of my hand (a chocolate milk carton if you must know), tried showing my teeth and raising my eyebrows, I can confirm it didn’t work.
I'm sad that you didn't live to tell the tell. Rest in peace, buddy.
You can tell these folks haven't been around snakes
- an Australian
As much as its best to avoid senselessly killing snakes, if you're facing down a pissed off brown snake you'll need option three - "shovel". Those cunts will chase you if you make them angry.
@@bluegum6438 to whack the snake or dig your grave?
@@jumbo4billion First the former, and then if that doesn't work, the latter.
Hardly surprising really, there is only one species of poisonous snake native to the UK, and you'd need to eat at least six of them in quick succession before the poison approached fatal levels.
"We're afraid of bulls, but cows are actually more dangerous". And that's why cows are not used in bullfights, they're more unpredictable and learn with their mistakes, meaning that after a few times of being tricked by the cape, they'll aim to the man.
Any useful info on black and brown bears by any instance? 😀
An adult brown bear can't climb a tree, it'll just keep shoving at the tree to try and make you fall out, or push the tree over. They're very strong. A black bear will climb up to get you if it's really pissed off.
@@DanDownunda8888 So basically, humans don't stand a chance anyway 😀
@@Noukz37 Depends on the bear, but yep, pretty much.
What if your dentures fall out?
I saw a nature show on wolves years ago. They had a young antelope, I think, surrounded, because it refused to run. It stood its ground and they acted confused, but kept provoking it to run. It finally did and they got it.
It depends on what kind of snake. Rattlesnakes can't strike anything standing still, and Cobras can't strike anything moving.
Also you NEVER run from a dog. They love to chase. If you run, they WILL chase you.
Yes, canines will chase you. As in the movie Dancing With Wolves, the scene which gave the movie its title. My working line German Shepherd will do exactly the same. I'll make her sit, walk away for 100 yards or so then as soon as I run away she's off. Nips at my heels to try and bring me down. It's a lot of fun!
@@DanDownunda8888 Dogs, horses and humans share a ligament in the neck (nuchal ligament) which is particular to running animals. Dogs are a bit quicker than their owners, especially over shorter distances!
but with a rattle snake, for instance, the rattle is a warning and you should gtfo
Ok but are you supposed to turn and run or back off slowly? I know for most Australian snakes it's the latter.
Robert R almost always back away slowly, there are very few animals that you should run from
@@spartanhoplite3753 midgies
@@spartanhoplite3753 I think the general rule is you run away if it's bigger/heavier than you, and back off slowly otherwise.
@@MadManchou A better rule is if it is a predator back off slowly, if it is prey get out of the way.
They said that wolves like to eat on the run I guess that would make them the first fast food customers. Just saying🤔
Nah, they'll just bring you down and have a picnic.
There's a new invention called a "Club". Apparently they work really well as a human defensive tool, who would've thought it?
I was once charged by a herd of cows while walking with some friends on a scout camp- we scarpered and jumped a fence and survived so yeah. Run away haha
Elephant: Stand
Rhino: scream
I need to hear more. Bears (I believe it's run for Brown, stand for Black). Elephants and Gorillas? (Stand I think.) Skunks? (Stand) Aligators (run in a zigzag - they are fast in a straight line.)
Please put subtitles on this channel.
In what language?
Scarper? Is that like Scamper?
American?
Indeed. Never heard scarper, new word day!
Basically yes. Scamper is a bit more jolly ("look at those baby lambs, scampering about the field") Scarper is more like "Quick, let's scarper before the police get here". The origins are from rhyming slang. Scapa Flow (pronounced "Scarper") is an inlet in the Orkney Islands north of Mainland Scotland. In rhyming slang Scapa Flow = Go, and it got shortened to Scarper over time and it's in general use throughout the UK.
Rhyming slang still confounds me, as a yank. I get the concept, but I'm always blown away hearing it. Love it though, cheers.
@@hunterwilk It's a little old-fashioned now but Americans have "dukes" as in "put up your dukes" (your fists, to fight), which comes from VERY roundabout rhyming slang (hands being "forks", which became "Duke of York"s which got shortened to "dukes"). It's absolutely bonkers.
Can vouch for aggressive cows. They will go after you if you go anywhere near their calf.
Is there a reason bill keeps monkeys trapped in his house?
You can always scarper. Just make sure you are faster than the Person your with
There is one impotant feature missing and that is attack. Keep still, scarper or attack.
He basically used attack while keeping still with wolves when he mentioned throwing stones. I say that is cheating.
I don't know if anyone has been mugged before. The mugger is terrified of their victim.
Almost always when confronted by a predator the correct choice is to become very large and loud. This generally only applies to mammalian/avian predators. Reptiles do not have the same reaction.
You have been chosen for predation because you looked easier than everyone else, make yourself less easy and most predators will bail.
That mugger rule only holds true for people who aren't affected by drugs.
English subtitles please🙏
Hard of hearing?
I would've thought that a snake wont notice u if u stay still for vibrations and thermals sake
Bill Bailey looks toasted!
You need to play music for the cows. There are videos as to how much they like it.
@Molly McCullagh I've seem that. I think he did Debussy or something classical.
How high is Bill?
5 feet 9 inches
I'm in the US and have never heard "scarper". I suppose it's synonymous with "scamper"?
@Topher S yes, it’s to sort of run away or vacate a position with great haste
Not really, "scamper" implies a playful or whimsical retreat, to "scarper" is to escape or flee with urgency.
If you live in Australia and you see a Taipan, run *fast* and climb something high. They don't fuck around.
lol how many people watching this have their mouths open showing teeth with raised eye brows ! lol
Q: And if it's human?
A: Pull over and let them pass! 🚗 🚛
Basic rule: carry a shotgun everywhere.
So Drax is immune to snakes then? Good for him.
Be honest. Who else was watching and baring their teeth and making that "O"?
what about important animals....like leopards or bears or tigers?
Suboo PC Most people watching this show are highly unlikely to ever encounter any of those
Privacy Lover tell that to the leopard that comes around our campus
babablap They're much more likely to encounter venomous snakes than animals like lions and tigers
I live in bear country you make as much noise and commotion as possible. With big cats they’ve always told us to stand your ground because if you run it triggers their hunting response.
Ummm not sure that’s accurate with snakes, depends on the species and how close you are.
If you’re in the strike range…slowly move out of the strike range.
Some venomous species do have pits to detect heat so they can absolutely still see your thermal profile if you don’t move.
But if you’re not in the strike range you can scarper off and you will be able to outrun your constrictors, rattle snakes, cobras.
If it’s a black mamba you’re fucked mate, they can outrun you and they always envenomate.
(Some species have a “dry bite where venomous species will not inject venom, bc they want to save it for prey)
And some cobras can spit projectile venom in a stream in your eyes…so I would scarper off bc they are deadly accurate.
I’m in America though so not sure if you Brits have venomous snakes?
I’d be curious if so.
But they’re like bees and don’t want anything to do with you unless you’re mucking with it.
We have literally nothing dangerous here. Cows are the only thing that can kill you just because they’re large. The snakes are small and are petrified of you here and there’s no venom at all. I used to go hunting for them as a kid but I reckon I only ever saw one or two. I did have a pet one though.
Ah you see now. I live in a part of the world where there are tonnes of monkeys, and we were specifically told NOT to bear your teeth at them and that it's the worst thing to do ....
My Dad was a sharemilker for a while. I'll have to ask him if he was ever chased by a cow
Wellllll???
We'll never know I guess....
@@gavinwyllie7855 no, only by a bull
Nothing a 357 Magnum can’t handle... ☝️
As much as I like Stephen Fry, I wouldn't trust his factoids if it came down to not getting killed by a predator.
Would you just run from everything or stand your ground from everything or just play it by how it feels?
I just wonder if these tips work in real life. I almost got bitten by an Black Adder snake once. I got to close and he was only trying to protect the female snake. I jumped away and the snake retreated. If I had stood still the snake would have bit me!
I think it’s different with different snakes. I know rattlesnakes you should definitely be still but I reckon if they’re being territorial or protecting kin then definitely get away because that’s there primary problem with you. I’m no animal expect, not even an animal amateur, though.
Bill Bailly is totally stoned!
As an American and I had never heard of the word scarper before in my entire life🤣😂😭🤦♂️
As a brit, neither have I
@@vladdythebear5872 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤣😭😭
6lue Already Dead Ill be honest, my device is on like IOS.1 so I can't see those
@@vladdythebear5872 lol just the emoji with his hands in the air like "fuck...i dont know" & laughing emoji's...🤦♂️🤦♂️ ::face palm:: Cuz i just realized I'm a grown nan who used the word emoji twice in one sentence lol
Good lord Stephen Fry! Wolves are comically timid around people. I lived in the North Woods of Wisconsin for over a decade and the stories of wolves are all about how easy they are to scare. Rarely do they kill livestock. I even had a professor who tells of a research camp in which he slept out of the tent, and woke up, middle of the night, with a pack of wolves snooping his sleeping bag and campsite, and he just yelled a few short seconds at them, and they bolted away. He went right back to sleep and thought nothing of it. This image of wolves being ferocious mindless killers is from old stories of wolves during droughts most likely. Back when people depended so heavily on the land immediately around them, that when drought struck all animals where eating outside their usual diet. Also not to mention different wolf packs are remarkably different in personality and behavior. In yellowstone, in the Rockies, out in the western forests etc, when there is drought and fish are stocked low in the waters, bears are the first to cross that line and have a taste for humans before wolves will. Check the length and timing of drought or any food scarcity issues with wildlife out west before hiking. Humans are least preferred dietary choice for nearly all wildlife. For god-sake if bears and wolves really did like human flesh so much, there’d hardly be any humans alive at all where bears and wolves live. They can smell you miles away and they can also cover 10x the distance faster than a human running at full speed. They could be on you killing you before you even realize they are near. You arent dead while hiking because they simply dont prefer you and are simply prone to timid reactions when their bellies are full, which is most of the time. :)
they do kill people sometimes though
And if you see a ghost go for a piledriver
Moooooore
From what i know in general if its predator keep still and if its a prey animal then run. Definitely not 100% rule but from what i see
I don't think the dogs have to tease them for the cows to crowd round them. I reckon cows think dogs are wolves.
@Steve Ross *used to be
Scarper but slowly with cows
You can't scarper slowly.
Nah fuck that. Run every time.
Showing your teeth to a monkey is a threat...if you do that to a Baboon...you'll regret it...
The editing around the aside of Bill's monkeys wasn't very well done. Stephen is asking Bill about his monkeys, and then without hesitation or pause, asks "Cows?" and it sounds like he's asking Bill if he either has cows or has house trained his cows.
Wolves dont attack people though...
+PLF
I've read Little Red RidingHood, I know what happens in the end...
1:52
bill always looks so red-eyed on QI
bill has monkeys in his house people. is nobody else going to mention it? whaaaat?
Cows HATE dogs
If you're walking for "pleasure" amongst wolves or bears, without having a readilyy cocked and loaded .303 rifle or higher caliber, you deserve to become lunch.
As for being shoulder deep in a cow's "fanny" earning you a kick in the face, no, that's what the birthing stall shackles are for because saving the calf and cow from breach birth death and damage should never earn anyone a kick in the face from the cow. Been there, done that
Are Bill's eyes okay?
I think hes baked
Glaucoma ?
Cows are bloody dangerous, trust me, I know.
I am disappointed to find out that Bill has pet monkeys.
He has a kind of private zoo for rehabilitating wounded or mal treated animals
Ahhhh uhhh ya fuckin' wolves ahhhuhhhhyallu 1:50
What! No grizzlies or cougars or elk? You certainly don’t live in Alberta.
So, with the wolves you don't scarper, but don't keep still either. You challenge 'em. Bullies hate being challenged. ;-)
Working on a farm part time I've had to run from livestock. Once I actually managed to volt the gate
run away