1. Don't touch or approach wild animals.
2. Don't try to rescue a sick animal.
3. Sleep in a tent or an enclosed structure, not on the ground under the stars.
4. Do not run from charging animals (unless that animal is a moose). This is especially true for children. Running from a wild animal only triggers their chase instinct
5. Recognize when you are too close to wildlife. The first sign that wildlife is aware of your presence is when they simply stop what they're doing and star at you. You presence has made them uncomfortable.
6. Never feed wild animals. People who feed wildlife put others at risk. Wild animals who habituate to people and are food-conditioned, will approach strangers expecting a snack and get angry when they aren't fed. The first time I ran into this problem was with a bunch of baboons in Kathmandu, Napal. I was carrying a bag of trail mix when a food-conditioned male ran up behind me, and grabbed it out of my hand. The baboon ran off a short distance, turned and yelled at me, as if threatening me not to try and take the bag back. Hey, I'm no fool! Here's another eye-opener from Dave Smith's, Don't Get Eaten (16): "Don't give bears visual clues. In some parks, bears have learned to associate ice chests, water jugs, and even grocery bags with food. If you leave these items in plain view in a locked car, an experienced bear will break in. A bear can pry out a windshield or bend open a car door."
7. Leave your dog at home. Dogs always make wildlife encounters more dangerous, and they've led charging animals back to their owners.
8. All wild animals have a "personal space" zone which, if crossed, forces the animal to make a decision: Fight or flee.
9. Carry pepper-spray, keep it immediately available and don't hesitate to use it.
10. Trail running in wilderness areas is just asking for trouble.
11. You should be concerned if any wild animal is aware of you presence and deliberately approaches you.
12. Do not hike alone. Generally speaking, the larger the group, the safer.
13. Hike during the day, not during the night or at dusk or dawn.
14. Do not camp near trails, lakes, ponds, river or streams. Big game use all these day and night.
15. When camping in bear country, don't cook in your tent, don't eat in your tent, don't store food in your tent and don't sleep in clothes you cooked in.
16. Playing dead: There is no simple answer on playing dead. It is both a good and bad idea, depending on the circumstances.
17. Sleep well away from food preparation areas (i.e. 100 yards).
18. When hiking with children, always have an adult at the front and rear of the group.
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