By:Summer Livengood

In Florida, there are lots of wild animals, animals such as panthers, bears, and other predators. So when walking on trails, there are many things you should do to avoid any unfortunate encounters with these animals.

A man ( who asked to remain anonymous) was followed by a Florida panther. As soon as he noticed, he kept contact and tried to be loud and scary to chase away the predator, and this was the right thing to do. Most of Florida’s predators are ambush predators, which means they attack when you don’t pay attention. Eye contact makes these animals back off, knowing the person saw them and could try killing them too. A few days ago, another man was attacked by a wild brown bear. In this situation, you have to pray you know the difference between a brown bear and a black bear. When it is a standoff with a black bear, you need to act tough and loud to scare the bear. With brown bears, it’s completely opposite. When with a brown bear, you want to be quiet and play dead, brown bears are peaceful until they feel threatened. 

Over 240 deaths in Florida are caused by animal attacks. These attacks are no joke, and if this happens to anybody then they should go to a hospital right away. One swipe from a brown bear’s claw could kill you instantly. A wide and deep wound can leave serious damage, and any injuries will likely be extensive.

However, there are other ways you can prevent some attacks. When camping, make sure to hide your food in trees, make sure not to have strong unnatural odor such as cologne and perfume, and make sure to walk with a partner when walking on wooded trails. The trails are unsafe and have wildlife all over.

Usually they won’t attack unless they feel there is danger, so as long as you don’t make sudden movements or loud noises, you should be fine. When they start getting more aggressive that’s when you take the final measure to be loud or play dead.

 In Florida, we do have a lot of wildlife, so make sure to stay safe and remember the difference between a black and brown bear.