Joe Yogerst
One misstep and you're dinner
After barely surviving a lion attack, explorer David Livingstone wrote one of the most vivid descriptions of what it’s like to have the jaws of death literally clamped around your neck, an animal bent on munching you like so many corn chips. The lion “caught me by the shoulder as he sprang, and we both came to the ground together. Growling horribly close to my ear, [the lion] shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock . . . caused a dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening.”
Livingstone survived his frightening encounter, but many others have not been so lucky – the hundreds of people around the world who perish from wild animal attacks each year. Despite mankind’s much ballyhooed “conquest” of Planet Earth, there are an awful lot of things out there still waiting to pounce – and an ever-increasing number of adrenaline junkies bent on getting as close to these creatures as possible and (hopefully) living to tell about it...
One misstep and you're dinner
After barely surviving a lion attack, explorer David Livingstone wrote one of the most vivid descriptions of what it’s like to have the jaws of death literally clamped around your neck, an animal bent on munching you like so many corn chips. The lion “caught me by the shoulder as he sprang, and we both came to the ground together. Growling horribly close to my ear, [the lion] shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock . . . caused a dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening.”
Livingstone survived his frightening encounter, but many others have not been so lucky – the hundreds of people around the world who perish from wild animal attacks each year. Despite mankind’s much ballyhooed “conquest” of Planet Earth, there are an awful lot of things out there still waiting to pounce – and an ever-increasing number of adrenaline junkies bent on getting as close to these creatures as possible and (hopefully) living to tell about it...
Joe Yogerst One misstep and you're dinner After barely surviving a lion attack, explorer David Livingstone wrote one of the most vivid descriptions of ... more
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1
Great White Sharks
Cape Town (South Africa)
Probably the most feared of all creatures (thanks to Jaws author Peter Benchley), great whites occasionally munch on bikini-clad coeds but are more inclined to dine on natural prey like seal and fish. You can literally get close enough to reach out and pick their teeth in places like Shark Alley along the coast east of Cape Town, where outfitters organize cage dives out of old fishing ports like Gansbaai (near Hermanus) and Mossel Bay (near George). Although great whites cruise these bays year-round, the cooler water of the South African winter (May-Sept) means more sharks and better underwater visibility. Because cage divers breathe through air hoses connected directly to the boat rather than via tanks, no extensive scuba experience is necessary – just lots of cojones.
2
Saltwater Crocodiles
Kakadu National Park (Australia)
Steve Irwin had an infamous fatal encounter with a stingray, but “salties” remain Australia’s most dangerous creature. On average, one person is fatally chomped each year Down Under, mostly while swimming murky inland waters, but sometimes they’re snatched from riverbanks or boat ramps. Salties lurk in rivers, swamps and bays along the entire north coast, but the best place to stare into their icy eyes is Kakadu National Park and environs, where watercourses like the Adelaide River and Yellow Water billabong harbor some of the world’s largest and most ferocious reptiles. Best time to see them is the Aussie winter (June-August) when the cold-blooded creatures sun themselves on the shore. Infuse your trip with a touch of irony by sleeping at the Aboriginal-owned Gagudju Lodge Cooinda, where the restaurant menu features crocodile steak.
3
Lions
Serengeti Plains (Tanzania)
Unlike other parts of the world where deaths from animal attacks are actually declining, Tanzania has been experiencing the opposite effect – a dramatic increase in lion attacks and fatalities over the past two decades. More than 600 people (mostly farmers and herders) have been killed by lions in Tanzania since 1990, a phenomenon that authorities attribute to habitat encroachment and a lion baby boom fueled by less hunting and higher birth rates. Serengeti National Park harbors one of the world’s largest lion populations and offers superb open terrain for close encounters of the feline kind. There is nothing quite as awe-inspiring (or bone-chilling) as listening to lions groan and moan around a tent at night while camped on the Serengeti Plains. A&K’s upscale “Hemingway Safari” lays on the lions with cocktails and comfy beds.
4
Polar Bears
Churchill (Manitoba)
Nowhere are polar bears more accessible than the northern reaches of the Canada’s Manitoba province. Astride one of the major ursine migration routes on the western fringe of Hudson Bay, the town of Churchill endures a veritable bear rush each fall as the hungry creatures awake from hibernation and flock to the pack ice for a feeding frenzy. The bears are at their best in the wilderness, seen from heated four-wheel-drive “tundra mobiles” with huge tires and panoramic windows. But nothing beats sleeping with the bears. Not in their dens, of course, but portable lodges on the tundra – humans inside the cage (so to speak) with the big white bears looking in. Natural Habitat books a wide variety of polar beat encounters in the Churchill area.
5
Bengal Tigers
Ranthambhore Bagh (India)
Although exact figures are hard to come by, it’s estimated that as many as a hundred people each year succumb to tiger attacks in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The greatest killer of all time – the Champawat man-eater – dispatched more than 430 people in the early 20th century. Thanks to poaching and habitat loss, the beautiful beasts are now scarce in most of India, but still flourish within the boundaries of Ranthambhore Bagh. The reserve’s dry deciduous forest makes for easy viewing, especially during the arid winter months when feline stripes stand out amongst the dry bush. With hunting banned for more than 40 years, many of the local tigers have relinquished their nocturnal ways for daylight activity. Overnight visitors to “The Bagh” crash at the upscale lodge or luxury safari tents.
6
Anacondas
Llanos Grasslands (Venezuela)
The world’s largest snake isn’t a man-eater per se, but more of an opportunist who will dine on anything living that happens to come its way. Although its modus operandi is constriction, you are more likely to drown as the reptile drags you into whatever swamp or stream it calls home. Anacondas have been known to reach 28 feet in length in the Lllanos grasslands of southern Venezuela, where they reside in reed-covered wetlands waiting for the occasional capybara or unsuspecting human to wander along. Guamanchi Expeditions is one of the few outfitters that leads wildlife safaris into the remote Llanos region, sleeping in hammocks at night and exploring the grasslands by day in search of anaconda and other indigenous critters.
7
Komodo Dragons
Komodo National Park (Indonesia)
Nowhere on the planet is there a more efficient killing machine than the Komodo dragon, an alligator-sized lizard that hunts in packs, can smell prey more than two miles away, chews into your flesh with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth, and leaves behind saliva laced with 50 different kinds of bacteria including several that are highly infectious and others that have no known cure. They have been known to attack animals much larger than themselves including horses, water buffalo and people. The only reason there have not been more human deaths is because the three Indonesian islands that constitute their present range are largely uninhabited. Park accommodation is primitive – thatched ranger huts with limited running water and only three hours of electricity per day. Komodo Tour organizes live-aboard boat tours from Bali to the national park that combine scuba diving and lizard watching.
8
Piranhas
Sacha Jungle Reserve (Ecuadorian Amazon)
The fierceness of the piranha is more fiction than fact. They do not hunt down humans in packs and they cannot strip the flesh off your bones in a matter of minutes. That said, they do have awfully sharp little teeth and will gladly have you for lunch if you’re, say, already dead or in deep distress. They occur throughout the Amazon Basin, but in Sacha Jungle Reserve in Ecuador you can actually swim safely with the menacing silver fish in the tannin-stained blackwater lakes around the lodge. You wouldn’t even know they were there – flitting around your feet – if not for the fact that local Indians are catching them with hooked lines right off the dock from which you just dived. Retire to the thatched-roofed lodge for a hammock siesta followed by a gourmet meal at the Sacha restaurant.
9
Grizzlies
Katmai National Park (Alaska)
“Grizzly Man” Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers mixing with grizzlies in the wilds of Katmai National Park – until one literally decided to have him for dinner. The big bears congregate each summer near Brooks Camp to fish for salmon and generally romp and frolic. All visitors must attend a bear safety talk on arrival that includes helpful hints on what to do if you come face-to-face with a grizzly – don’t run, play dead, protect your head. Anyone who dares venture off into the Katmai backcountry should invest in a portable electric fence to protect their tent from grizzly attack. Brooks Lodge provides rustic but very comfortable lodging within walking distance of the main bear-viewing sites.
10
Giant Squid
Sea of Cortez (Mexico)
Dubbed the Red Demons of the deep, the Humboldt squid will devour anything it comes across in the deep, including sharks, dolphins and human beings. With deadly parrot-like beaks and teeth-lined suckers, this is not a creature to trifle with. Growing to more than 180 pounds and six feet in length, the cantankerous squid hunt in wolf-like packs in the southern parts of the Sea of Cortez. Unlike most sea creatures – including sharks – they are not the least bit timid and prone to attack even when not provoked. Divers have developed chain-maille-like “squid armor” to defend themselves against Humboldt attacks. San Diego based Seawolves Unlimited has teamed up with Baja’s Shark Divers to develop giant squid scuba tours out of Loreto, Mexico.
[source: https://www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/predator-vacations-story.html ]
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