Wildlife Dangers and Safety

A sign at one of the local parks. The park includes a large ring of pavement that cuts through a former rice farm. The land now includes a very large swathe of tidal marsh and forest.

Warnings are something that shouldn't be taken lightly. If you see one, pay attention. They've been placed there for a reason.

Like many people, I enjoy the outdoors. I'm a relatively frequent visitor to local parks, a number of which are fairly untouched patches of wilderness with unpaved trails. As such, it is vital for me to be aware of what dangers there may be on those trails. I live in a city where you can go maybe a mile in one direction or another and come across a place where you can possibly come across some quite dangerous animals.

Some people may be surprised by how pervasive alligators are, for example. A lot of people think they're only found in Florida or Louisiana. That, however, is a mere fraction of their range. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) has a range along the coast of the United States all the way from a very small part of Virginia to Texas, extending north into Arkansas and Oklahoma. The only real restrictions to their range are cold winters and the salt content of a body of water. They can tolerate short periods in salty water, but are not adapted to deal with long-term exposure to high levels of salt.

A young alligator found at the same park as the sign above

Where I am, alligators are a rather frequent sight. They thrive in the moist environments that are so common in the area. I have seen a number of them varying in size from three feet or so, like the one seen here, to about eight feet in length. I also know a number of people who have seen far larger gators. My father, for example, came across one that was over twelve feet long when he was out kayaking.

Though small alligators are unlikely to kill you, they can still do quite a bit of damage if they bite. Even worse, very young alligators emit a distinctive cry when they feel threatened that will cause mother alligators to come investigating. Someone who made the very bad decision of messing with a baby alligator could quite easily find themselves facing a very large, very dangerous adult.

So, how to you keep yourself safe around alligators? The main way is to keep your distance. Don't feed, touch, or otherwise bother the animal in any way. Do not swim where alligators are known to live. They can be quite fast over short distances on land, and a distance of at least sixty feet should be maintained with adults. They're even faster in the water. Don't corner the gator, as it may feel that it is in danger and can become dangerous fast. If you are boating nearby, do not panic if an alligator on a bank enters the water. It likely feels threatened and is looking for safety. Also, I repeat, for goodness sake don't bloody feed the thing! I have expressed before my opinions on feeding wild animals, and alligators are one of those animals that should never, ever, EVER be fed. An alligator that views humans as a source of food is extremely dangerous.

A water moccasin, also known as a cottonmouth, found at the same park as the alligator

Snakes may or may not be dangerous, depending on what species you're dealing with. There are about forty species of snake to be found in my area, some with far greater frequency than others. Of those snakes, six species are venomous: the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus), pigmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius), and Eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius).

One of the most important parts of snake safety is identification. While I may not be able to always recall all of their common names off the top of my head, I know what all of the local venomous species look like. I remember well the lessons I learned many years ago at the Georgia Southern University Center for Wildlife Education. Except for the coral snake, which is a highly unusual species to come across, all of these snakes have arrow-shaped heads with distinct necks rather than the rounded heads of all the native non-venomous species. Luckily, all of these species are also fairly small compared to snakes that are found in other areas. This means that the safe distance for these species is less than with other, larger snakes. However, this doesn't mean you should approach a venomous snake. Indeed, it is best not to approach any wild snake as you are likely to be perceived as a threat. Even the smallest non-venomous snakes can cause quite painful bites. 

Of course, this is another case where keeping your distance is the easiest way to stay safe around venomous snakes. However, being fairly small creatures, snakes can hide quite easily. A number of species prefer to tuck themselves into holes for various reasons, including temperature regulation and hunting purposes. This is one major reason why debris should be cleared from yards, especially in areas that children or pets frequent. In addition, caution must be taken during treks outside. Don't stick your hands in holes without looking first and be careful where you step, especially around logs and other places where snakes are known to be found. Light your path at night so that you can see what's on the ground, including any snakes you may come across.

If you do happen to come across a snake, it's best to calmly step back and walk around it. Snakes really just want to go about their business and, most often, bites occur when someone messes with the snake. If you don't pose a threat to the animal, it shouldn't pose a threat to you. Stepping on the snake is also a reason people are bit, which is one of many reasons why you should wear closed-toed shoes and long pants in the wilderness.

It also must be noted that pets can potentially be in more danger from wild animals than humans. They are curious creatures and it isn't uncommon for them to stick their noses where they shouldn't. They should always be under supervision in potentially dangerous areas. If the dog is approaching a wild animal, especially a potentially dangerous one, it should be removed immediately for the safety of everyone involved. Also, there is an option for concerned dog owners living in areas with a lot of dangerous snakes known as "snake proofing." It is a form of training that will give a dog a healthy fear of snakes.

Snakes and alligators are perhaps the greatest concerns in my area, but they are definitely not the only potentially dangerous animals to be found. We also have American black bears, alligator snapping turtles, bobcats, wild boar, whitetail deer, coyotes and a number of smaller animals that can deliver a nasty bite or potentially carry diseases like rabies.

While this information is most relevant for my area, everyone who intends to spend a lot of time in the wilderness should be aware of the dangers they may come across.

Sources are Animal Diversity Web, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory: How to be safe around alligators, and Savannah River Ecology Laboratory: How to be safe around snakes. Images are from myself, my significant other, or are copyright free from Wikimedia Commons: one by myself, two from Wikimedia, three and four by my SO.

Overcast Park Day (more pictures)

It's been extremely dreary lately, overcast nearly every day for many days. Lots of rain and skies threatening rain. That's why the recent pictures look the way that they do. It actually rained a bit during both of the days I was on campus. Today, I forgot to bring my rain coat to the park and thankfully there was no rain. It's supposed to stay like this for four more days. I'm starting to miss the sun. This winter's been very warm, and it seems that the least the weather could do was give us some sun.

Anyway, I took Ebon to the old rice farm. I did the whole trail, unlike last time where the sun was against us and I hadn't brought a flashlight. We did some running. I don't have a lot of endurance, though (I let myself get out of shape), so it was in fits and spurts. Plus I discovered I can't really run yet on gravel while wearing my Five Fingers. Most of the trail is paved but two section are not, these sections being made of gravel instead. It's an interesting sort of perspective wearing the Five Fingers because you get a real sense of the terrain and what is and is not comfortable for a dog to walk on. Ebon has a habit of weaving on gravel, and I hadn't thought about it before. I figure it's because it hurts his paws and he's trying to find a better place to walk. We ended up walking in the tire tracks on the trail, me in one and him in the other because it was far more comfortable.

On the move

On this side of the bridge the path is paved. On the other side it's gravel.

He's on another picnic table here.

The park's kind of a marsh-swamp. I'm going to call it a mamp. It has many plants that are classically associated with a swamp, but it's tidal, which I don't really associate with a swamp.

High tide in the mamp. Waterways like this crisscross the park and are fairly popular for canoeing and kayaking. The last time I was at this park, the water behind Ebon was at least two and a half feet lower. Here, the spillway is completely full to the point that the water on the other side appears stagnant.

From the observation tower again.

More view of the high tide.

I climbed another tree while we were there too.

We met several dogs on the trail, most of whom were overexcited sorts, which send Ebon into a sort of anxious whining fit because he thinks it means it's time to play. I'm working on desensitizing him so that he'll stop, but unfortunately not everyone is cooperative about these sorts of things. For example, Ebon and I met a woman and her dog, a male chocolate Labrador named Moose. When we were still a bit of a distance away I told her I was training Ebon to be calmer, but she walked right up to us anyway and Moose ended up getting the four of us all tangled together. It's usually nice that people in the area are so friendly, but sometimes it's frustrating.

Downtown and a Park

It's been a little while since I last took Ebon on an adventure. There is a bit of a reason for that. During our last adventure,  Ebon picked up a tick that I pulled off right when we got home. Unfortunately, the bite became infected. I treated the wound and spent some time watching him and making sure he was okay, as well as keeping the bite clean and dry. It's the first time he's ever had an infection, so I was probably more than a bit overly concerned about it spreading. Oh, well, safety first. It's nothing more than a scar now.

This past weekend I went downtown with my significant other and took Ebon along. We had a lot of fun, though Ebon got a bit bratty about wanting to go meet another Labrador that came into one of the stores we went to. I used the moment to remind him of some training I've done in the past: over-excitement means we go away, calmness means he can go say hi. The store where I bought Ebon's pack is dog friendly, which is great--especially since they have fresh water always available just outside the front door. We also went by my favorite ice cream parlor, which always proves to be an amazing treat, and, much to my surprise, Ebon was given a small treat for free. Also, we even walked all the way down to the river.

Ebon being good outside of the ice cream parlor. Here he's actually watching me eat my ice cream, which he didn't get any of. This business has been around since before 1920!

Ebon enjoying his treat: very watered down ice cream.

Watching a ship bring cargo up the river

Today Ebon and I did some running around. I finally got the engraved tag with Ebon's microchip number on it that I've been meaning to get for ages. I also stopped by another local groomer and pet boutique and bought some chewies, which I plan to discuss soon. The owner was very nice and helpful, far more so than the person working at the groomer where I recently bought some food. Also, the boutique has a far greater variety of dog foods, many of which can't be found anywhere else locally. At least that's true from what I've seen so far. There's also an amazing variety of treats and chews, as well as the fancy non-food things you would expect to find in a boutique. After that, we went to the park that's actually an old rice farm. We were only able to do a section of the trail there since the light was failing, but we did have some fun wandering around the more developed parts of the park. There are several big festivals held there, and a large pavilion and small stage have both been built to house such events.

Near the beginning of the trail. If you look closely you can see a great egret on the other side of the pond.

On the trail, showing the massive quantities of Spanish moss as well as a bench and bridge in the distance.

I had Ebon climb to the top of the observation tower on his own.

A view of the former rice fields, now gone to tidal marsh, from the observation tower. This spot's great for birding.

Ebon in a down-stay on the stage. We ran for a while after this, including more stairs and some jumping off and onto the stage, a height of about two feet.

In the middle of the pavilion. When I was in high school, the band performed several concerts in this very pavilion. It's divided into a bunch of stalls for the festivals, most of which will sell food of some sort. Alligator meat is sometimes to be found. This was after the running around, which is why Ebon is panting harder.

Ebon on one of the many picnic tables. I'm a bit amused that his tongue blurred in this one.

Even More Adventures

I took Ebon out to yet another park (this one by my parents' house) on Christmas Eve. He's been there before, many many times. Part of the reasons for it was the need to break in his new pack a little bit.

Happy Ebon on a fifteen foot wooden overlook that provides a nice view of the marsh. There's a nice three mile path encircling the marsh. Ebon loves his pack! I'm slowly working him up in weight, and six-and-a-half pounds didn't phase him. To get to the overlook Ebon had to climb stairs. I still remember when he used to be afraid of stairs. Taking some time, making them fun, and providing lots of praise and cookies made all the difference.

This sign is there for a reason!

My father and Siggy came along as well. We had fun and the dogs came home tired. The park used to allow dogs off leash, but doesn't any longer. I wonder sometimes why they made that decision. Unlike many of the other parks, this one is in a rural area and there is little risk of dogs running into streets or bothering people in their homes. However, there are always the alligators. And the snakes, including several venomous species. I don't think anyone wants their dog getting injured by either one of those reptiles. I have seen both at this park on numerous occasions, including a couple of very sizable alligators. One of which was at least seven feet. However, winter sends them into hibernation so it's far less likely to come across one.