Why the jungle is a dangerous place. Why is the jungle dangerous?

Lyubov Burova

dangerous jungle

The jeep drove along a gravel road that led through the jungle like a small vessel through the mighty body of a majestic forest. The tree kingdom surrounded them with a solid wall. Here were giants several tens of meters high with wide roots and huge branches. Their powerful trunks, covered with smooth and shiny bark, reached several meters in diameter. Medium-sized trees and graceful palms, thickly entwined with vines, towered over a tier of flowering shrubs, ferns with huge feathery leaves, and all kinds of herbs. Red begonias, white and golden orchids, pink bromeliads were everywhere, giving the jungle a unique charm.

The trunks of the giants went up. There, at the top, they scattered their huge crowns, interconnected by vines or epiphytic plants growing right on the branches. Because of this, from a bird's eye view, the jungle looked like a solid green massif.

Melissa has admired this amazing creation of nature many times in her life - during hiking, excursions by car and even from a helicopter, but this beauty could not be enough. It was a different world, where time and space felt different, and the soul was overwhelmed with admiration and delight.

One trip was the most memorable. During the celebration of her birthday - she was then twelve years old - her father arranged an unusual surprise and rented a balloon. It was an unforgettable adventure. The route was laid along one of the most beautiful places Colombia - Lake Guatavita, located fifty kilometers northeast of the capital Bogota in the mountains of Cundinamarca. This rounded and quiet lake, located in the crater of an extinct volcano and surrounded on all sides by a forest thicket, was associated with many myths and legends, including the famous legend of the land of gold - El Dorado.

Lake Guatavita in ancient times was the sacred lake of the Muisca - Indian tribes of the Chibcha language group, who were the creators of one of the most highly developed ancient civilizations in South America. The Muisca, like all Chibcha Indians, worshiped the forces of nature. Above all, they revered the sun and water, and in their honor, when the next king-priest ascended the throne, a solemn ceremony was held. With the help of thin tubes, the high priest was covered from head to toe with golden sand. Then, in the rays of the rising sun, he plunged into the waters of the sacred lake, while the “golden” skin was washed off from him. Afterwards, figurines, rings, necklaces made of gold and adorned with precious stones were thrown into the water as an offering to the gods. The ceremony was held extremely rarely, but the fantasy of profit lovers made it a daily one. Thus was born the legend of the mythical country of El Dorado with its countless treasures and the "golden man" who rules this fabulously rich country.

They took off near the small town of Guatavita, located on the banks of a man-made reservoir and built in the sixties of the last century on the site of a flooded old village. White stucco houses with red-tiled roofs, neat cobbled paths, elegant wrought-iron lanterns and cozy taverns created the exquisite beauty and charm of Guatavita.

Prior to this, Melissa had never had a chance to fly on hot-air balloon and she was overwhelmed with emotion. As the balloon began to rise into the sky, she grabbed the edge of the basket. But very soon the feeling of flight and extraordinary lightness forced fear out of consciousness.

It was unforgettable to soar above the ocean of greenery. They flew up almost to the tops of the tallest trees, heard the cries of monkeys, trills of birds, and then suddenly a magnificent view of the lake opened up before them. It was shaped like a saucer, and the water had a rich emerald green hue.

This flight remained forever in her memory, as something magical.

Melissa's childhood was different from that of many other children. Her father, a lieutenant colonel in the Colombian Air Force, was a strict parent. He was sure that only home education could provide a level of knowledge worthy of his daughter, and also protect her from negative outside influences.

And, starting from the age of three, the girl spent half the day in classes with tutors and teachers, and the second half was devoted to reading, drawing and dancing.

Mom constantly quarreled with her father, believing that such a load is dangerous for health problems due to moral and physical exhaustion, but her father was adamant. He assured that since the daughter behaves calmly, and she has a good perception and assimilation of new information, then there is no overstrain. Moreover, classes usually alternated with walks or took place on fresh air, which in itself helped to relieve stress.

By the age of seven, Melissa not only possessed the basic knowledge that was necessary for admission to school, but also spoke, read and wrote in Spanish, English and French. But her favorite pastime was drawing.

Melissa never complained to her parents that she was tired, did not shirk from classes and did not throw tantrums. Everything that her parents, experienced teachers and tutors tried to invest in her, she accepted calmly, with a feeling of genuine interest and a desire to absorb this knowledge. And when classes were held on the ocean, in a park or museum, it pleased her even more.

Melissa loved learning languages. It was so great to speak French with my mother, in English with Aunt Isabella - my mother's sister - and then all together sing funny songs in Spanish. Aunt lived in New York and came to visit them, and then it was truly magical days, full of joy and adventure. It was Isabella who instilled in her niece a love of painting. She herself had just started teaching at the New York University School of the Arts in the Department of Painting and Composition.

When Melissa was seven years old, she moved in with Isabella and entered the Dalton School, located in East New York, which prepared students for the university.

There was no mention of going to school in Columbia, and at first her father wanted to enroll her at Leman Manhattan Preparatory School, an elite boarding school located in downtown New York. He believed that it would be better for the girl and her upbringing, but Victoria and Isabella were categorically against this, insisting that Melissa was a home child, and a sharp change in lifestyle would have a bad effect on her psycho-emotional state. In the end, they managed to convince him that the girl entered the Dalton School, especially since the school had a good art studio, while the level of teaching painting at the Leman Manhattan Preparatory School was insufficient.

Thus, a stage began in Melissa's life, full of discoveries and new achievements, but at the same time overshadowed by separation from her parents.

Mom working as an anesthesiologist in a private clinic for plastic surgery in Bogota, could not visit her daughter as often as she would like. My father rarely came to New York, and they mostly saw each other when Melissa herself came to Columbia for the holidays. Therefore, Isabella and her husband Jason, with whom the girl immediately developed a good relationship, were almost completely engaged in her upbringing. Their daughters, twins Jessica and Daniella, were four years her junior and she was their beloved older sister.

Only years later, Melissa fully realized what support and support Isabella and Jason were for her, and what love she was surrounded by in those difficult times. There were moments when she wanted to quit everything and go back to Colombia to her parents, especially in the first year, but Isabella always managed to find the right words, from which her soul became light and calm.

At the school where Melissa studied, there was a wonderful art studio. Classes were taught by experienced teachers, and the girl continued to develop her abilities in painting. Her work constantly took pride of place in exhibitions held at the school itself, and won competitions that were arranged between art schools.

Already at the age of twelve, Melissa had her own small exhibition, and she began to conclude contracts for illustrating books. At first it was children's fairy tales about animals, study guides, then several major publications, where she worked in a group with professional illustrators. Many works at that time were devoted to the beauties of native Colombia, its unusually diverse flora and fauna. While studying at school, taking prizes in many competitions, Melissa participated in the organization of joint exhibitions with other artists.

After graduating from the Preparatory School at the age of seventeen, she enrolled in the New York University School of the Arts for an undergraduate degree. A year later, the director of the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan offered her the position of curator.

Victoria and Isabella helped her make the necessary connections both in the US and in Spain, where Melissa's maternal grandparents lived. But in most cases, contracts and agreements were the merit of Melissa herself.

At the age of eighteen, a truly grand event took place in the life of a girl - the purchase of an apartment in Manhattan. It was her cherished dream, but the cost of such housing was very high. And what was Melissa's surprise when, on her eighteenth birthday, her father gave her most of the cost of the apartment, and indicated that he could buy the apartment in full, but he knew that his daughter would want to make her contribution.

The purchase was not regarded as pampering or excess - it was a practical investment of money, providing her daughter with her own home and fulfilling her old dream.

The girl was very surprised then by this generous gift from her father. And when, three years later, her father bought a luxury villa on the ocean in Colombia, her surprise knew no bounds. As his father explained then, he bought the apartment with his own savings accumulated over the years of military service, and for the purchase of the villa he took a loan at low interest, which was provided to him by the Ministry of Defense.

Melissa loved her apartment. This was her kingdom, her small world where she lived, worked and created.

Melissa was sympathetic to her mother's decision. She herself tried many times to talk to her father, but, like her mother, she ran into a cold wall of unwillingness to communicate. Of course, she still continued to love her father, even despite his actions and behavior.

Everything ended almost painlessly for both parties. The necessary papers were signed, the property was divided. For about two months, Victoria lived with her daughter, and then flew to Spain, where her parents lived in Seville. Victoria's uncle, director of the Virgen del Rocío Clinic's cardiology center, offered her the position of lead anesthesiologist, which she could not refuse. Initially planning to live in New York, Victoria changed plans and stayed in Spain.

Melissa continued to work at the Museum of Modern Art, as well as teaching at the university and writing at the same time. PhD thesis. By the age of twenty-two, she had organized more than fifty exhibitions, twenty of which were her work.

In December, my mother told Melissa good news- consent was obtained to organize an exhibition of her paintings in the Museum of Abstract Art in Cuenca. The girl was delighted with this museum and had long planned to arrange an exhibition there. Now she was faced with the task of selecting the paintings, coming to Spain, signing all Required documents and think through all the subtleties of the organization.

Then there were intense five months of work, curating exhibitions in Canada and France, creating a new series of works. All this completely exhausted Melissa both physically and mentally, so she decided to go to Colombia to visit her father, and at the same time celebrate her birthday there and relax.

Arriving, the girl threw out of her head everything that was somehow connected with work, and plunged into rest with rapturous pleasure.

Melissa spent the first three days basking in the gentle rays of the sun on the ocean or taking walks on her father's yacht. Having restored her physical strength, the girl left every day to admire the sights, visited her favorite places since childhood, met with relatives and friends. When they managed to go somewhere with their father, she was just happy. During these hours, she seemed to be returning to childhood, but for a complete idyll, her mother was not enough nearby.

To her great regret, during the week she spent here, her father was able to keep her company only twice. The first time they went to Medellin, where my father's cousin lived with his family. The second time, on her birthday, we walked through Simon Bolivar Park in Bogota, where her father rented a carriage with four horses, and then had dinner at a restaurant. The rest of the time she was always and everywhere accompanied by one of his people.

Melissa was well aware that his father had assigned him to her as a guard, and at first it weighed a little on her. Having hinted to her father that she could easily do without a bodyguard, and having received his categorical “no” in response, the girl at first simply put up with it. But after a couple of days, her attitude changed to a positive one. Andres turned out to be a very friendly, courteous and interesting young man of twenty-eight. He could support any conversation and had an amazing sense of humor. They quickly found mutual language, although sometimes Melissa wanted to go somewhere alone. Especially after unpleasant conversations with his father, which happened several times during this time. The girl saw that her father had changed a lot, and tried to help him, but, as before, she came across only denial and aggression.

Ten days have passed. Melissa was full of impressions and emotions, and her hands reached for the brush and easel, and her soul burned with a thirst for creativity. Having bought everything necessary in the city of Cali, which was located an hour's drive from home, she plunged into her favorite element with pleasure.

The villa, built on a small hill, immersed in greenery and reminiscent of a palace, a snow-white yacht, the ocean and everything connected with them, was captured on paper from various angles.

White columns, a bizarrely curved roof covered with red tiles, balconies on the second floor with a gorgeous view of the ocean, palm trees with huge leaves, countless flowers, two pools with clear blue water. One of them went out to the ocean, and from a certain point you could imagine that you were swimming right into the ocean. Everything around was bright, colorful, insanely beautiful, and Melissa could not help but capture all this magnificence on paper.

Father often went to Cali, and several meetings were held in Bogotá. Usually, in such cases, a helicopter flew for him, but sometimes the meetings took place right at the villa. One time, three people came to see him, and Melissa ran into them right outside the front door, returning from the beach. The tone with which her father introduced her to the guests seemed to the girl irritated and a little agitated. It was like he was doing it by force. But then she chalked up her annoyance to fatigue and to the fact that the conversation that had just taken place was perhaps unpleasant.

Of course, the girl could not fail to notice that her father was almost always tense, thoughtful, and sometimes even lashed out at her or those around her. After unsuccessful attempts to talk to him, she simply tried to ignore his constant remarks and prohibitions. Melissa loved her father, tried to find an explanation for his behavior, but she did not always succeed. More often, her whole being rebelled against his restrictions, prohibitions and denial of many obvious things.

So the trip to the waterfall that she planned for tomorrow was nothing more than a challenge to her father and his established rules. Friends told her about this waterfall, and the girl caught fire to see it.

Somewhere in the depths of her soul, Melissa knew that she was doing a slightly reckless act. On the other hand, she wanted to make it clear to her father that she was already a completely independent person and did not need escorts, especially in her native country. And after their little quarrel yesterday, this desire has increased even more. She will calmly go to the waterfall, which she has not yet seen, and the next day she will be able to tell her father everything. It's just nonsense! He forbids her to take walks alone here, while she makes many trips every year almost all over the world.

The escape plan was developed and thought out by Melissa two days ago, after she saw an interesting exhibition in one of the city's museums in Cali. Having told her father about this, the girl emphasized that the exhibits presented on it have a high artistic value, and some of them simply need to be sketched. She also explained that there was a lot of work to be done, which would probably take a whole day, and the most logical solution would be if Andres took her to the museum in the morning and arrived in the evening.

At first, my father was against this plan. He did not understand why this work could not be divided into at least two days. But Melissa explained that the museum was already meeting her halfway, setting aside almost a whole day so that she could work in peace. After some thought, her father agreed, continuing to insist that Andres come and pick her up in the middle of the day and take her to a restaurant so that Melissa could at least have a proper lunch. She had a hard time convincing him that, firstly, there was a decent cafe in the museum, and secondly, she was not ready to say exactly when she could take a lunch break. After much persuasion, persuasion, and reasoning, her father's approval was finally obtained, and Melissa proceeded to the next step in her plan.

I had to think carefully about my wardrobe. For a walk to the waterfall, the girl chose mid-thigh denim shorts, a cotton T-shirt with small sleeves and a light sweater made of thin plush fleece, deciding that she would feel calmer with her. At first, she was tormented by doubts about whether she chose things that were too light. But then, having decided that in jeans she would simply die from the heat, and even more so, a path was probably laid to the waterfall, Melissa calmed down. She wasn't going to go far into the jungle. Especially since shorts and a T-shirt would take up very little space in the bag she was going to take with her.

Now it was time to decide what she would wear for the museum. Going through the wardrobe, Melissa paid attention to things that could be safely put away in the storage room and not worry that they might wrinkle. After half an hour of deliberation, she opted for a suit, which consisted of dark purple trousers and a lilac-colored tunic with an abstract pattern. Multicolour geometric print woven clogs with high heels and a wood-look platform completed the look.

The white bag in which Melissa usually carried a small easel was the right size to fit all the necessary things: clothes, light sneakers, a mobile phone and a wallet. There was no need to hide the camera, which made her unspeakably happy, since the bag was already almost full. In a separate bag, she put all the necessary things for sketching: an album, pencils, crayons, primed paper and a small notebook for sketching a waterfall. Then she will put it all in a bag.

At times, disturbing thoughts, whether she was doing the right thing, crept into her head, but she swept them away. Her father would never have allowed her to go alone, again reminding her of the unstable situation in the country. But what can happen?! In all her life, during all her travels in Colombia, even in the most remote and abandoned corners of it, nothing terrible or dangerous has ever happened. Of course, the country had its own problems and internal conflicts, but they seemed to take place in a parallel life, in another world that did not intersect with its reality in any way.

In the morning Melissa woke up determined. My heart was pounding as the car pulled up to the museum. Having once again told Andres that she would definitely call an hour before the expected end of work, and that she would definitely not finish before nine, the girl got out of the car, rejecting insistent offers to bring things, slammed the door and slowly walked towards the museum.

She felt like a spy or secret agent, and she liked the whole idea even more. Dad had a lot of things planned for today, and Melissa hoped he wouldn't call her to ask how things were going. In the end, if he later asks why he could not get through to her, she will explain that the museum’s storage has a bad connection, since it is in the basement.

The joyful excitement of adventure filled my heart. Everything should work without problems. She will calmly go to the waterfall, make a series of sketches and photographs, return back to the museum and even have time to sketch a few exhibits. If her father asks - although he never went into such details - why there are so few works, she will answer that she chatted with the curator of the exhibition. This could well have happened in reality, as she was always interested in talking with such people.

The girl entered the museum building and looked out the window overlooking the square in front of the main entrance. Andres left, which means that it was possible to proceed with the implementation of the plan. She called a taxi from the museum's public telephone, asking that the car not drive up to the main entrance of the museum, but to its east wing, and wait near the fountain. The dispatcher said that the car will be in fifteen minutes. This information delighted Melissa, she did not want to wait an extra minute.

After changing in the toilet, she moved the pencils and crayons and the album into her bag, neatly put her things in bags, hung the camera around her neck and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. The adventure has begun! Glancing at the clock on the wall—it was 08:45—she left the restroom and headed for the lockers. Putting the bags in a free cell, Melissa closed the door and locked the lock.

Putting the key in the pocket of her bag and hanging it over her shoulder, the girl walked to the east wing of the building and went outside. There was no car yet, and Melissa decided to go buy a bottle of water. When she returned, she saw a parked taxi. The car pulled up just in front of the fountain, as she asked.

Between her and the taxi was about twenty meters. Glancing around just in case, the girl quickly ran down the stairs, ran to the car and sat in the passenger compartment.

An hour and a half on the road flew by unnoticed, and when they arrived in the suburbs of La Plata, Melissa asked to be taken directly to the building of El viaje al sueno (The Journey of Your Dreams), which organizes excursions. This company was also recommended to her by friends who told her about the waterfall.

After paying the taxi driver, Melissa went into the building to find out more about the tour. This route was not yet popular with tourists, and so the receptionist first offered her another tour, but after seeing the photos, Melissa realized that she had already been there. She tried to explain the approximate location of the falls, and Melissa seemed to understand what the administrator was talking about. The girl called someone and asked to come to the reception desk. Two minutes later, a short Hispanic man in his fifties entered the room.

He was dressed in dark gray pants, sneakers and a bright shirt. Several of the top buttons were undone, and Melissa immediately noticed a necklace of large shells. The sleeves, rolled up to the elbow, showed tanned almost black arms. Walking over to the counter, he leaned on it, tapping his car keys on the countertop, and looked at Melissa.

- Buenos dias!

Melissa greeted back.

- This is one of our guides - Senor Cabrera! – administrator smiled at Melissa, and then looked at the man. – Marco, the girl is interested in an excursion to a recently discovered waterfall in the jungle. It's probably the one in square eight? She put the map on the table and pointed to the proposed site.

“Yes, most likely,” the guide circled the place on the map with a key, glancing at Melissa. “Not far from Casa Agapito!” We can go right now.

- Yes Yes!! Most likely, this is it! Melissa exclaimed happily. – My friends who went there mentioned Casa Agapito. Perhaps you were the one who took them there! Two girls in their twenties, a brunette and a blonde, and a young man. This was about a month ago.

Yes, I remember something like that. I'll be outside, - the conductor slowly walked to the exit.

- That's wonderful! When are you going to go? Do you have a group? the administrator asked.

“I would like to go right now, and I'm alone,” Melissa put her bag on the counter.

– Unfortunately, the minimum composition of the group we have three people. You can wait until the group gathers, but it will most likely not be today, - the girl said and quickly added: - But if you pay triple the amount for the missing people, you can go right now.

“Okay, I agree,” Melissa took out her wallet.

– You will go immediately after we complete the paperwork. Please fill out this form! Here you need to enter your details and contact phone number. Also read the contract for the provision of excursion services and please sign here. Two hundred and sixty-five thousand pesos from you!

Melissa read the contract and found it to be standard. Before filling out the form, she thought for a few seconds whether to write her real name and surname, or she needed conspiracy here too. Perhaps in the future she will again use the services of this company, and there may be problems with fictitious data when transferring money or ordering an excursion via the Internet. Moreover, she was going to tell her father about this trip anyway, so there was no point in this conspiracy. Filling out the form, Melissa handed the documents and money to the girl. When she got her change and check, she put the wallet back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

- Enjoy your holiday and new experiences! The administrator handed her a colorful booklet. - Here are descriptions of all our excursions. We will wait for you again. Goodbye!

- Thank you! Goodbye! Melissa smiled and walked quickly to the door.

As she stepped outside, she looked around. Marco sat nearby on a bench in the shade. big tree and smoked. Seeing the girl walking towards him, he took another deep drag and stubbed out his cigarette on the ground. Rising from the bench, he threw a cigarette butt into the urn with an accurate throw.

Melissa walked up to him and handed him the check.

– Can we go right now?

- Yes of course without problems. Let's go!

When they approached the jeep, the girl was pleasantly surprised. It was a Suzuki off-road vehicle of quite decent appearance, and most importantly, it was closed. She terribly disliked the drafts that arose in open jeeps, especially on high speed. And this car definitely has air conditioning, so you don’t have to worry about the heat. Marco opened the door for her and Melissa got into the car. The salon was cozy, the seat was comfortable, and the mood became even better.

When the conductor sat in the driver's seat, Melissa decided that now was the right time to agree with him on some nuances.

- Senor Cabrera! My name is Melissa. I will be very grateful to you if we take the shortest possible route, and if possible, could you take me to Cali after the tour? - Saying this, she handed the man a bill of fifty thousand pesos.

Call me Marco. Deal! - the conductor with a satisfied smile took the money, put it in the outer pocket of his shirt and fastened his seat belt. - We're recovering.

- Thank you very much!

The girl fastened her seat belt and prepared her camera to take pictures on the way. The car was air-conditioned, as she had hoped, and ten minutes later the temperature was quite acceptable.

Everything worked out for the best! The guide will take her to Cali, and by doing so she will gain almost an hour. And most importantly, no one will interfere with her drawing.

Since childhood, Melissa has tried to draw the most beautiful landscapes, sights, plants and flowers. She always had colored crayons, a set of pencils and a folder with sheets with her. At first, she was pleased that people came up, looked at the drawings, admired her talent, but gradually, with age, this began to interfere. Therefore, if possible, she tried to take individual tours everywhere or went with those people who respected her work.

They had been driving for about an hour. First, along the paved road through the suburbs of La Plata towards Algeciras, then, deepening into the jungle, we moved onto a gravel road. Throughout the journey, Marco several times drew her attention to the most beautiful views which they passed. Basically, he tried not to bother with idle chatter, having first asked if the girl needed detailed stories about Colombia, and received a negative answer.

About twenty minutes later, the jeep pulled off the road onto the grass and stopped.

- We arrived? Melissa asked, closing the lens cap and hanging the camera around her neck.

- Yes! It's still about five hundred meters from here, but there's a path there. It’s quite comfortable to go,” Marco turned off the engine.

- Wonderful!

The girl opened the door, hung her bag over her shoulder, and jumped down onto the grass. Looking around, she listened and smiled. The singing of birds, the cries of parrots, the rustling of the wind in the dense foliage - all this gave the jungle a special enchanting power. Most of the sounds around asked general background. It was crackling, tapping, whistling, but almost every few seconds there was a beautiful bird trill.

etc.), as in it we consider ten different criteria by which animals are considered deadly.

Many criteria are not affected. Add other deadly animals in your comments.

10. Savannah African Elephant - Animal Power.

King of the Jungle is a title that still unjustifiably belongs to an elephant and not a lion. Elephants do not live in African jungles. The African elephant is the largest land animal on the planet that has no natural predators (humans are not considered natural predators). Those elephants that you saw in zoos do not look like wild elephants at all. In zoos, elephants do not regard humans as a threat. In the wild, any non-herbivore is a threat, and elephants are smart enough to know who is who.

In the wild, an elephant is safe up to a certain point. You can be 100 meters away from him, he will notice you, but will not attack. Or he can attack you from 500 meters as soon as he sees you. Naturally, the largest land animal is confident in his superior strength, and he really knows it, but he has a mind that distinguishes him from some primates. This is not difficult to understand, given that he has an 11-pound brain.

The elephant is the most graceful of the five large African game animals, and although it is still legal to hunt them, a permit to kill one elephant will cost about $50,000. Hunters are only allowed to kill solitary old males or females who do not have long to live . The proceeds go to the preservation of the species. Despite their size, they easily hide in tall bushes and their ears allow them to hear you long before you can hear them. They have an extraordinary sense of smell that allows them to smell you from a mile away. And due to their huge size, they do not have to run or hide. Adult elephants have no natural predators. Nobody and nothing dares to mess with them. They can run at a speed of 25 miles per hour for 100 meters, i.e. faster than Usain Bolt.

They are hyperaggressive during must. Must is the reproductive hormone of male elephants, mostly testosterone, which in this period increases 60 times. Because of this, the elephant wants to copulate with any female that enters his field of vision, and also encourages him to attack everything around. Must causes excessive irritability and aggression in the male.

There were cases when during the must the elephants attacked, despite two shots at point-blank range from the 460 Weatherby Magnum (usually one shot is enough to knock the elephant down on the spot) and trampled the hunter to death, and also destroyed light safari jeeps; The 6-ton males threw the 14-foot hippopotamus over their heads, stomped their tree-sized paws, and tore the anchor chains chained to them. They are smart enough to stick their tusks into the links of the chain and hurl it to the ground if they cannot overcome the iron.

9. African Lion - Combination of Strength and Speed.

The tiger is slightly larger than the lion and just as fast, but the lion is stronger than the tiger, as he is the only cat that can work together when hunting. This helps him to bring down the victim much faster than if he acted alone. Lions are perhaps the most intelligent of the cat family - members of one group secretly surround a herd of animals and when the lions sitting in ambush give a signal to the leading lions by coughing or sneezing, the victim is chased into the ambush and several of the hunted animals are killed, thanks to which the lions are not it takes a long chase.

An adult male lion is about 15 cm taller than a tiger and weighs approximately 150-250 kg. It would seem that with such dimensions, the lion should be clumsy, but everything is not at all like that. He can run 100 meters at 50 miles per hour. Lions can run across high fences holding a cow in their teeth. They can jump as high as 12 feet and jump as low as 40 feet. Their mortal enemy, the hyena, does not dare to attack alone, but the lion is able to repel even the attack of a pack of hyenas.

Video broadcasts often show a group of hyenas stealing the prey of the lionesses, after which the lionesses again kill the victims and again lose their prey. Eventually, the lionesses "complain" to the head lion, snarling at him until he wakes up. It sees hyenas eating prey 200 meters away, approaches them within 50 meters, then pounces and kills 9 of them before the others can escape. With one blow of his front paw, he tears one hyena in half along the spine.

Lions have been known to bite through the tires of cars carrying tourists to stop them. To scare them away, guides use recordings of elephant sounds. Hunting them is still legal, but protecting them is quite expensive (as it should be). Hunting extends to some types, as well as man-eating lions. The two most notorious cases occurred in Tsavo involving maneless cannibals in 1898. From March to December they killed and ate 135 workers railway in Tsavo, Kenya. They were gigantic in size, even for lions, about 3 meters long, and 8 people were involved in catching them. The hunter who killed them, Colonel John Patterson, shot one of them at least 8 times with a .303 Lee-Enfield, which has a bullet power comparable to .30-06.

8. Jellyfish "sea wasp" - Most Poisonous in the Sea.

Everyone is always wondering which animal is the most poisonous. And there are two answers to this question. Life in the sea originated about three billion years before the appearance of life on earth, and during this time the sea gave birth to its animals - the most terrible, dangerous, more advanced (see point 4). There are many types of jellyfish, but Chironex fleckeri, also known as the "sea wasp", is the most infamous.

The weight of the "sea wasp" ranges from two kilograms. The dome resembles a basketball in size, 15 tentacles reach a length of up to 3 meters. It used to be that her poison glowed, however, this is not so. Instead, the venom absorbs and reflects the faint light of the sun into its tentacles, giving the jellyfish a heavenly light even at dusk. Fortunately, this helps to recognize its approach. The jellyfish uses its venom to immobilize the fish, and if it wraps its tentacles around you for a while, the venom will dissolve you.

At night, the jellyfish hides on the seabed. During the daytime it hunts shrimp, minnows and other small fish. sea ​​turtles able to eat jellyfish, which they often do. They have a very thick shell that protects them from sting. From a light sting of a jellyfish, a person does not die, but he arrives in a state much worse than death. Excruciating, sharp, incredible pain permeates the body. Babies don't cry when bitten. They squeak. Rescuers say that it is easier to amputate a stung limb than to endure this pain.

If a person falls into the "embrace of a jellyfish", which happens quite often on the northern coast of Australia, the substance that is part of the poison leads to cardiac arrest in 3 minutes. That is 180 seconds. You will not drown because the poison enters the brain, which stops controlling the muscles. The sea wasp has killed 63 people since 1884, most of them in Australia. The jellyfish is also found off the coast of the Philippines and Malaysia.

7. Inland Taipan - Most Poisonous on Earth.

Do not confuse the inland taipan with the coastal taipan or central taipan. All three species are extremely poisonous. The inland taipan, also known as the "fierce snake" (for its venom), is a small snake, a two-step snake, with an average size of up to 1.9 meters, with the largest recorded reaching 2.5 meters. They are very shy and always avoid the proximity of a large animal. She will bite if cornered.

The average lethal dose of the released poison is 30 micrograms per 1 kilogram. In one bite, she injects an average of 44 milligrams, which equates to 44,000 micrograms. It can excrete up to 110 milligrams. However, this snake has never been considered a killer for humans. This is due to the fact that she lives in an uninhabited part of Australia, where a person rarely appears, and you also need to work hard to make her bite. It feeds exclusively on rodents and does not wait for prey to die. She bites up to 8 times to speed up the killing process.

The venom itself is called "taipoxin" from the name of the snake itself. It is one of the most powerful natural toxins on earth and stops communication between the brain and muscles, leading to asphyxia. The antidote is 100% effective, as long as you don't have to drive 200 miles to the hospital. A bite given to the calf, with an injection of 44 mg, will knock down a 90 kg person within 300 meters of running or within 45 minutes with a calm pulse. According to herpetologists, if the taipan were non-poisonous, it could be an excellent pet for lovers of home terrariums, given its non-aggressive temperament.

6. Human - Animal Anger.

Have you paid attention to the fact that most history textbooks divide eras into major social, political, or destructive moments, and that the divider is wars? In 200,000 years of modern human history (our history), the only thing that man has learned to do well is to kill. All animals fight, and only man wages war. We are the only species on Earth that has ever existed that is trying to completely destroy itself. And we are constantly improving in this, man is developing science, the purpose of which in most cases is to develop a new way of killing.

We do it so well that we can't even admit it to ourselves. We resort to euphemism, especially in times of war. We do not call it murder - it is a battle, "protection of our freedom", "neutralization of the enemy", "justified murder", "military affairs", "exclusive execution of an order".

Man is the only being capable of revenge, hatred or sadism. And we know all three concepts. We kill for any reason.

Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists in search of the elixir of life, then used as a material for fireworks. It didn't last long. Now it is better known as gunpowder.

The Wright brothers, the first aviators, did not create aircraft to invade the territory of other countries and bombard "enemy" lands. They didn't think an air war would be possible. No matter how! "Death rays", created by the development of Tesla, are also designed to defeat the enemy. Einstein did not know that his theory of relativity was being used to separate atoms in order to kill people. If Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi had explained to him what was going on in the Manhattan Project, he would have burst into tears.

There were exceptionally kind personalities in our history, such as Jesus, Indira Gandhi, Martin Luther King, etc. What do we do with them? Hate them, hurt them, kill them.

Man is an unnatural being for the reasons described. It does not fit into any environment other than urban. We consider ourselves predators, often proud of it. However, a person would not have survived half a fight with any of the representatives of this list. But this only provokes us to fight, and we do it on a level that distinguishes us from other species - on the level of thinking. With the right training (usually a weapon), we are more than a match for the other most dangerous creatures. And this charges us with viciousness and / or "sports" interest.

5. mosquitoes - High Mortality.

Their bites account for the largest number of human deaths among those caused by all microscopic insects combined. A mosquito is easy to kill if it hasn't had time to bite you. You slam him down with ease, but he has already done his job. All you experience is a slight itch. This is due to the mosquito's saliva containing histamine, which irritates your skin.

The main danger of mosquitoes is that they carry infectious deadly diseases to people and livestock that cannot be treated. Malaria is the most well-known disease, which can be fatal in 20% of cases, even taking into account modern methods of treatment. They also carry West Nile virus, lymphatic filariasis ( roundworms), tularemia, dengue fever, tropical fever and others. All of these diseases can be fatal.

In addition, mosquitoes can kill not only by infection with infectious diseases. In the Australian outback (another reason not to go there) and in the south of the Sahara, where minor floods occur seasonally, these moments create excellent conditions for the reproduction and development of a huge number of mosquitoes. Gathering in flocks of up to 1 billion individuals, they attack cows and camels, bleeding the carcass of an animal in just 10 minutes.

4. Shark - Ultimate Killing Machine.

As already mentioned in point 4, the ocean is fraught with highly developed life. The shark has no natural predators except for greater shark. The whale shark is considered the largest, but it feeds exclusively on small fish species, krill and plankton. Of the smaller species, the greatest danger is the white shark. It was about her that Steven Spielberg once made the film "Jaws". In this film, the shark is well characterized by Richard Dreyfus: "All it does is swim and eat and make little sharks." It can reach a length of 6 meters and weigh 2.5 tons and swim at a speed of 35 meters per second. Michael Phelps set the 100m freestyle world record in 47.82 seconds, that's 4.7 miles per hour. The shark is ready to overcome 25 miles in the same period of time.

All sharks have an excellent sense of smell. An excellent sense of smell compensates for poor eyesight. Each of its species can smell a drop of blood from afar. They smell blood for 8 kilometers, in one bite they can taste 14 kilograms of flesh. Theoretically, sharks are constantly in a state of hunger. A 6-meter individual is ready to bite with a force of 1800 kilograms, which exceeds the impact force of a .375 H&H Magnum.

Sharks - incredible creatures, which have a lot of amazing qualities, one of which is electroreception. The shark has special capsules of Lorenzini in its head. With every movement, the fish generates a small electric field, and the capsules help the shark calculate it. Thus, a person in the water instantly attracts the attention of a shark. The sensitivity of sharks allows you to detect a voltage of one billionth of a volt, which means that it senses the beating of a human heart from about 100 meters away.

3. African buffalo - Most Unpredictable.

Wild buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. The skin of a buffalo is not as thick as that of an elephant, but when hunting it, large-caliber weapons are used. Such a weapon allows the hunter to shoot without delay, but the first shot rarely brings down the animal. Even after being wounded in the head, the buffalo continues to attack. Caliber .585 Nyati was specially designed for hunting this animal. In Swahili, Nyati means "African buffalo".

It may seem to you that a jeep safari trip through the African grasslands is quite a safe activity, and it is, provided that you do not encounter an African buffalo. They can attack for no particular reason, adult bulls easily overturn vans, trucks and jeeps with their massive horns. A 900-kilogram male is capable of accelerating to a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. Often, professional hunting organizations refuse to hunt them, fearing for the lives of hunters. Every year, their horns and hooves cause the death of more than 200 people, which is a large number than the victims of any other African animal.

2. Clostridium botulinum - Most Toxic Bacteria on Earth.

One teaspoon of this bacterium is enough to kill the entire population of the United States of America, and 4 kilograms - the whole of humanity. Like the No. 7 poison in the ranking, the botulism stick causes paralysis of the diaphragm, breaks the connection between the brain and muscles, and leads to asphyxia.

Botolinum lives in the soil on every continent and in every ecosystem on Earth, from the Sahara Desert to the Antarctic. It develops even on the seabed. She needs ideal conditions in order to become active and, accordingly, dangerous. The only thing that saves a person from this bacterium is gastric juice, the acidity of which is too high and does not allow the bacterium to develop and release the toxin.

Once spores begin to form, it is very difficult to contain their growth. They are difficult to remove even with a 10-minute boil. When preserving food without boiling it (cold canning), spores can enter the oxygen-free environment of the food and develop rapidly there. When consuming such food, toxins instantly enter the body. Eating a handful of infected beans is more than enough to kill a person. No creature on earth is immune to this bacterium. Just one gram per kilogram of body weight of the spore-bearing bacillus becomes the guarantor of the development of botulism and death in any living being. An adult elephant weighs 5.5 tons and will die in less than 3 days from eating 0.005454 mg of the toxin.

1. African Army Ants - Strength in Numbers.

Let's face it. Africa is a very dangerous place on the planet, perhaps the most dangerous, where an incredible number of threats to human life are hidden. Siafu ants, also known as army ants, safari ants and legionary ants. Basically, they live in the central and eastern part of Africa, both in the jungle and in the savannah. They are devoid of eyes. They interact and navigate by the smell of pheromones. They live in groups of 50 million individuals and lead a nomadic lifestyle. Insects change their place of residence every few years, leaving the bivouac (temporary nest) in search of more fruitful and rich lands.

During the movement, the ants form peculiar columns: the soldier ants protect the worker ants from danger. The average length of a mature ant is about 5 centimeters, but there are winged individuals with a more elongated body. Siafu are poisonous insects, but the substance released during a bite from the abdomen is not so toxic as to kill a large animal. The main weapon of army ants is their jaws. Their power is enough to bite through even the thick skin of a rhinoceros. When a group of ants changes their location, all the animals in the area (reaching many square kilometers), including the honey badger, leave the area and return only after a few weeks.

If one ant attacked you, you can throw it off and trample it with shoes, but not a large colony. Ants don't play by the rules. If you come within 25 meters of a group of ants, they will smell you and start running to protect themselves. An ant's sting is impossibly painful, and if they smell blood, their only escape is to run. Attacking ants is useless. Even when using a flamethrower, they choose a special tactic - they go around the fire or wait until the fire goes out and continue their attack.

They cannot run fast, and you will be saved if you can run away from them. They can overcome any animal, even a sick or injured elephant, which cannot escape from them. Over the centuries, they have killed many people, always their victims were children or the wounded who could not escape from them. If they climbed on you, they are not so easy to get rid of. Other ants are afraid of water. Siafu ants are able to hold their breath for 3 minutes and continue to bite underwater. A group of ants can devour an elephant to the bone in just a month, during which time no one and nothing, with the exception of bacteria, can approach the carcass. Vultures may try to sit on the carcass, but then they fly away, trying to throw the ants off their paws.

They are used by local peoples as a natural medicine. They take one ant, which leaves bites on both sides of the wound, then the body is clamped down, leaving a fixed head with jaws. They have a venomous sting, but they rarely use it. They kill prey such as grasshoppers and small rodents by biting them to death. They can overpower any animal by biting it and bringing it to agony. Small creatures, like insects, are biting into pieces. Ants climb into the mouth of the animal and get to the lungs, biting everything that comes in their way, which leads to asphyxiation.

The climatic and geographical features of tropical countries (constantly high temperatures and humidity, specific flora and fauna) create extremely favorable conditions for the emergence and development of various tropical diseases.

Moreover, in the tropics, due to the absence of seasonal fluctuations in climate, diseases also lose their seasonal rhythm. A significant role in the occurrence and spread of tropical diseases is played by social factors, and first of all, the poor sanitary condition of settlements, especially rural ones, the lack of sanitary cleaning, centralized water supply and sewerage, non-compliance elementary rules hygiene, insufficient measures to identify and isolate the sick, bacillus carriers, etc.

If we classify tropical diseases according to the principle of causality, they can be divided into 5 groups. The first will include all diseases associated with human exposure to adverse factors of the tropical climate (high insolation, temperature and humidity): burns, heatstroke, and fungal skin lesions, the occurrence of which is promoted by constant skin hydration caused by increased sweating.

The second group combines nutritional diseases caused by a lack of certain vitamins in food (beriberi, pellagra, etc.) or the presence of toxic substances in it (poisoning with glucosides, alkaloids, etc.).

The third group includes diseases caused by the bites of poisonous snakes, arachnids, etc. Diseases of the fourth group are caused by various types of helminths, the wide distribution of which in the tropics is due to the specifics of soil and climatic conditions that contribute to their development in soil and water bodies (hookworm infections, strongyloidosis and etc.).

And finally, the fifth group of tropical diseases proper - diseases with pronounced tropical natural foci (sleeping sickness, schistosomiasis, yellow fever, malaria, etc.). It is known that in the tropics there is often a violation of heat transfer.

However, the risk of heat stroke occurs only at high physical activity, which can be avoided by observing a rational mode of labor activity. Fungal diseases (most often toes) caused by various types of dermatophytes are widespread in the tropical zone.

This is explained, on the one hand, by the fact that the acidic reaction of soils favors the development of fungi pathogenic for humans in them, on the other hand, increased sweating of the skin, high humidity and ambient temperature contribute to the occurrence of fungal diseases.

Prevention and treatment of fungal diseases consist in constant hygienic foot care, lubrication of the interdigital spaces with nitrofungin, powdering with powders consisting of zinc oxide, boric acid, etc. A very common skin lesion in a hot, humid climate is prickly heat, or, as it is called, tropical lichen (Miliaria rubra).

As a result of increased sweating, the cells of the sweat glands and ducts swell, are rejected and clog the excretory ducts, disrupting the normal excretion of sweat. In areas of intense sweating (on the back, shoulders, forearms, chest), a small rash appears, dot bubbles filled with a clear liquid. The skin at the site of the rash turns red. These phenomena are accompanied by sensations of burning areas of the affected skin.

Relief is brought by rubbing the affected areas of the skin with a mixture consisting of 100 g of 70% ethyl alcohol, 0.5 g of menthol, 1.0 g of salicylic acid, 1.0 g of resorcinol. For the purpose of prevention, regular skin care, washing with warm water, and drinking regimen are recommended. In stationary conditions - hygienic shower.

Of practical interest in terms of the problem of human survival in the rainforest are diseases of the second group, which develop acutely as a result of ingestion of toxic substances (glucosides, alkaloids) contained in wild plants.

If symptoms of poisoning appear, immediately rinse the stomach by drinking 3-5 liters of water with the addition of 2-3 crystals of potassium permanganate, and then artificially induce vomiting. In the presence of a first-aid kit, the victim is injected with drugs that support cardiac activity and stimulate the respiratory center.

The same group of diseases includes lesions caused by the sap of plants such as guao, widespread in the tropical forests of Central and South America, on the islands of the Caribbean. The white juice of the plant turns brown after 5 minutes, and after 15 minutes becomes black. When the juice gets on the skin (especially damaged) with dew, raindrops, or when the leaves and young shoots are touched, numerous pale pink bubbles appear on it.

They grow rapidly, merge, forming spots with jagged edges. The skin swells, unbearably itches, headache, dizziness appear. The disease can last for 1-2 weeks, but always ends in a favorable outcome. This type of plant includes manchineel (Hippomane mancinella) from the spurge family with small, apple-like fruits. After touching its trunk in the rain, when water flows down it, dissolving the juice, after a short time there is a severe headache, pain in the intestines, the tongue swells so much that it is difficult to speak.

In Southeast Asia, the juice of the khan plant, somewhat reminiscent of large nettles in appearance, has a similar effect, causing deep painful burns. Poisonous snakes pose a terrible danger to humans in the rainforest. Every year, 25 - 30 thousand people become victims of poisonous snakes in Asia, in South America- 4 thousand, in Africa - 400-1000, in the USA - 300-500, in Europe - 50 people.

Of the 2200 known snakes, approximately 270 species are venomous. These are mainly representatives of the families - Collbridae, Viperidae, Elapidae and Crotalidae. Poisonous snakes are usually small in size (100-150 cm), however, there are specimens reaching 3 m or more, for example bushmaster, king cobra, large naya.

The venom of snakes is complex in nature. Toxic substances, hemotoxins and neurotoxins, which have the effect of enzymatic poisons, affect the circulatory and nervous systems. Hemotoxins give a strong local reaction in the area of ​​​​the bite, which is expressed in severe pain, swelling and the occurrence of hemorrhages. After a short period of time, dizziness, abdominal pain, vomiting, thirst appear. Blood pressure drops, temperature goes down, breathing quickens.

All these phenomena develop against a background of strong emotional arousal. Neurotoxins, acting on the nervous system, cause paralysis of the limbs, which then pass to the muscles of the head and trunk. There are disorders of speech, swallowing, incontinence of feces, urine, etc. In severe forms of poisoning, death occurs in a short time from respiratory paralysis.

All these phenomena develop especially rapidly when the poison enters directly into the main vessels. That is why bites in the neck, large vessels of the limbs are extremely dangerous. The degree of poisoning depends on the size of the snake, the amount of poison that has entered the human body, on the period of the year.

So, for example, snakes are most poisonous in the spring, during the mating period, after hibernation. Of great importance are physical state bitten person, his age, weight, etc. Some species of snakes, such as black-necked cobra (Naja nigricollis), collared cobra (Haemachatus haemachatus), one of the subspecies of the Indian spectacled snake (Naja naja sputatrix), can hit their prey on distance.

By sharply reducing the temporal muscles, the snake can create a pressure of up to 1.5 atmospheres in the venom gland, and the poison is sprayed out in two thin streams, which merge into one at a distance of half a meter. When the poison gets on the mucous membrane of the eye, the whole symptom complex of poisoning develops.

What the victim of a poisonous snake attack experiences is dramatically described in his book "Across the Andes to the Amazon" by the German naturalist Eduard Peppig, bitten by one of the most poisonous South American snakes - bushmaster (Crotalus mutus). “I was about to cut down the neighboring trunk that was interfering with me, when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my ankle, as if molten sealing wax had been dropped on it.

The pain was so strong that I involuntarily jumped on the spot ... My leg was very swollen and I could not step on it ... The bite site, which had grown cold and almost lost sensitivity, was indicated by a blue, the size of a square vershok, a spot and two black dots, as from I was pricked with a pin... The pains got worse, I kept losing consciousness, death could follow the advancing insensible state...

Everything around me began to sink into darkness, I lost consciousness and felt no more pain. It was already well past midnight when I came to my senses - the young organism had triumphed over death. A severe fever, profuse perspiration, and excruciating pain in my leg indicated that I had been saved... For several days, the pain from the resulting wound did not stop, and the consequences of the poisoning made themselves felt for a long time. Only two weeks later, with outside help, I was able to get out of the dark corner and stretch out on the skin of a jaguar at the door of the hut" (1960).

For snake bites, various first aid methods were used, which were supposed to either prevent the spread of poison through the blood vessels - applying a tourniquet above the bite site, or remove part of the poison - cutting the wound and sucking out the poison, or neutralize the poison - sprinkling with potassium permanganate powder (Grober, 1939) .

However, studies in recent years have questioned the effectiveness of some of them. This primarily applies to the recommendation to apply a tourniquet to a limb after a snakebite, as it is still found in both popular and specialist literature.

Studies conducted in laboratories and observations in hospitals have shown that the application of a tourniquet can bring immeasurable harm to the victim (Ginter, 1953; Sultanov, 1963; Machilaev, 1970; Pogosyan, 1972, etc.). This is primarily due to the fact that in the tissues below the site of the constriction, lymph and blood circulation is sharply disturbed or completely stopped, which leads to tissue destruction, accompanied by necrosis, and often to the occurrence of gangrene of the bitten limb.

In addition, when a tourniquet is applied due to the hyaluronidase activity of the poison and the release of serotonins, under the influence of which the permeability of capillaries and connective tissue increases sharply, conditions arise for the rapid spread of the poison throughout the body.

Experiments conducted by Z. Barkagan (1963) on rabbits, in which, after the introduction of snake venom into the muscles of the paw, a ligature was applied for various times, showed that constriction of the limb by 1.0 - 1.5 hours significantly accelerates the death of animals.

Many authors point out the inadmissibility of injuring a wound by cauterization with hot objects, potassium permanganate powder, etc., believing that this method not only has no benefit, but also leads to the destruction of already affected tissue (Barkagan, 1965, etc.). At the same time, a number of works note the need to remove at least part of the poison that has entered the wound from the wound.

This can be achieved with the help of deep cruciform incisions made through the wounds and subsequent suction of the poison by mouth or medicine jar (Valigura, 1961; Mackie et al., 1956, etc.). Poison suction is one of the most effective methods of treatment. It is safe enough for the caregiver if there are no wounds in the mouth. For safety reasons, in case of oral mucosal erosions, a thin rubber or plastic film is placed between the wound and the mouth (Grober et al., 1960).

The degree of success will depend on how soon and how completely the venom is sucked out after the bite. Some authors suggested chipping the bite site with a 1-2% solution of potassium permanganate, others believed that it was possible to confine oneself to abundant washing of the wound with water or a weak solution of any antiseptic at hand, followed by applying a lotion from a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

The opinions found in the literature regarding the ingestion of alcohol during snake bites are very contradictory. Even in the writings of Mark Portia, Cato, Censorius, Celsius, cases of treatment of those bitten by snakes with large doses of alcohol are mentioned. This method is widely used among the inhabitants of India and other countries of Southeast Asia. However, convincing data have now been obtained on the adverse effects of alcohol on the condition of a person bitten by poisonous snake.

It has been established that after the introduction of alcohol into the body, the nervous system reacts much more sharply to the action of snake venom. In addition, alcohol, as shown by experimental studies by I. Valtseva (1969), firmly fixes snake venom in the nervous tissue. Whatever therapeutic measures are taken, one of the prerequisites is to create maximum rest for the victim and immobilization of the bitten limb (as in a fracture).

Absolute rest contributes to a more rapid elimination of the local edematous-inflammatory reaction and a favorable outcome of poisoning. The most effective method of treatment is the immediate administration of a specific serum subcutaneously or intramuscularly, and with the rapid development of symptoms - intravenously.

In this case, there is no need to inject serum into the bite site, since it gives not so much a local as a general antitoxic effect. The exact dose of serum depends on the type of snake and its size, the severity of poisoning, the age of the victim (Russel, 1960). MN Sultanov (1969) recommends dosing the amount of serum depending on the severity of the case: 500 - 1000 AU in the lungs, 1500 AU in the middle, 2000-2500 AU in severe cases.

A set of measures to help a person bitten by a venomous snake at the scene of the incident will consist of sucking the poison out of the wound, ensuring complete rest, immobilizing the affected limb, and giving plenty of drink. After delivering the victim to a medical institution, first of all, he needs to enter a specific serum. With further treatment, painkillers (except for morphine and its analogues), cardiac and respiratory analeptics (according to indications) are used.

Given the severe mental state of people bitten by a venomous snake, it is advisable to use tranquilizers (phenazepam, melliril, etc.). Poisonous snakes themselves rarely attack a person and, when meeting with him, strive to crawl away as quickly as possible. However, with carelessness, you can step on a snake, hook it. hand. Then the bite is inevitable.

That is why, making your way through the forest thicket, you must be extremely careful. It is much safer to yield the battlefield to the snake than to fight it. And only in extreme cases, when the snake has taken a fighting pose and an attack is imminent, should you immediately strike it on the head.

Among the numerous (more than 20 thousand species) order of spiders, there are many representatives that are dangerous to humans. The bite of some of them, such as Licosa raptoria, Phormictopus, living in the Amazonian selva, gives a severe local reaction (gangrenous tissue decay), and sometimes ends in death. Especially dangerous is the small spider Dendrifan-tes nocsius, whose bite is often fatal.

Making my way through the thicket rainforest, you can be attacked by land leeches from the genus Haemadipsa, which hide on the leaves of trees and shrubs, on plant stems along trails laid by animals and people. In the jungles of Southeast Asia, there are mainly several species of leeches: Limhatis nilotica, Haemadipsa zeylan nica, H.ceylonica (Demin, 1965, etc.).

According to our observations, the wound continues to bleed for about 40 - 50 minutes, and pain at the site of the bite persists for 2 - 3 days. It is easy to remove a leech by touching it with a lit cigarette, sprinkling it with salt, tobacco, or smearing it with iodine. The effectiveness of any of the above methods is approximately the same. The bite of a leech does not carry an immediate danger, however, secondary infection easily occurs in the jungle.

Currently, there are special formulations that lubricate the skin to repel leeches. From the numerous works of domestic and foreign authors, it is known that diseases caused by various types of worms (IV group) are widespread in tropical countries. Human infection usually occurs when larvae and eggs of helminths enter the body with food and water.

Group V includes diseases transmitted by flying blood-sucking insects (mosquitoes, mosquitoes, flies, midges) - filariasis, yellow fever, trypanosomiasis, malaria, etc. The greatest practical interest among these transmissible diseases in terms of the problem of survival is malaria.

Malaria is one of the most widespread diseases in the world. The area of ​​​​its distribution are entire countries, such as Burma. The number of patients registered by WHO is 100 million people. The incidence is especially high in tropical countries, where its most severe form, tropical malaria, is found.

The disease is caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium, which are transmitted by various species of mosquitoes from the genus Anopheles. It is known that for the full development cycle of mosquitoes, the sum of -heat is extremely important. In the tropics where average daily temperatures reach 24-27 °, the development of the mosquito occurs almost twice as fast as, for example, at 16 °, and during the season the malarial mosquito can give 8 generations, breeding in myriad quantities.

Thus the jungle, with its hot, humid air, slow circulation air masses and an abundance of stagnant ponds are an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and mosquitoes. After a short incubation period, the disease begins with an attack of tremendous chills, fever, headaches, vomiting, etc. Tropical malaria is characterized by muscle pain, common symptoms of damage to the nervous system.

Often there are malignant forms of malaria, which are very difficult and give a high percentage of mortality. Protection against flying bloodsuckers is one of the most important health issues in the jungle, but liquid repellents are often ineffective in the hot daytime, as they are quickly washed off the skin with profuse sweat.

In this case, you can protect the skin from insect bites by lubricating it with a solution of silt or clay. Having dried up, it forms a dense crust, irresistible for the sting of insects. Mosquitoes, midges, mosquitoes are twilight insects, and in the evening and at night their activity increases sharply. Therefore, with the sunset, it is necessary to use all available means of protection: put on a mosquito net, lubricate the skin with repellent, make a smoky fire.

A number of drugs are used to prevent malaria: chloroquine (0.5 g), haloquine (0.3 g), chloridine (0.025 g), paludrin, and others. once a week.

Yellow fever. It is caused by the filterable Viscerophicus virus, which is carried by mosquitoes Aedes aegpti, A. africanus, A. Simpsony, A.haemagogus, etc. Yellow fever in its endemic form is widespread in Africa, South and Central America, and Southeast Asia.

After a short incubation period (3-6 days), the disease begins with a tremendous chill, fever, nausea, vomiting, headaches, followed by an increase in jaundice, damage to the vascular system (hemorrhages, nose and intestinal bleeding). The disease proceeds very hard and in 5 - 10% ends with the death of a person.

A very reliable means of preventing yellow fever is vaccination with live vaccines. Trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, is a natural focal disease that is common only in Africa between 15 ° north latitude and 28 ° south latitude. This disease, which is considered the scourge of the African continent, threatens, according to World Organization health care, 35 million of its inhabitants.

Its pathogen, Tripa-nosoma gambiensis, is carried by the notorious tsetse fly. In the blood of a person bitten by a fly, trypanosomes multiply rapidly, having penetrated there with the saliva of an insect. And after 2-3 weeks the patient collapses in a severe fever. On the background high temperature the skin becomes covered with a rash, there are signs of damage to the nervous system, anemia, exhaustion; the disease often ends in the death of a person.

Mortality from sleeping sickness is so high that, for example, in some areas of Uganda, as N.N. Plotnikov (1961) points out, the population decreased from 300 to 100 thousand people over 6 years. In Guinea alone, 1500-2000 deaths were recorded annually. To combat this terrible disease, 36 countries of the African continent, where it is rampant, annually spend about 350 million dollars a year.

However, no vaccine against sleeping sickness has yet been developed. To prevent it, pentaminizothionate is used, which is administered intravenously at the rate of 0.003 g per 1 kg of body weight.

Only the strictest observance of the rules of personal hygiene, the implementation of all preventive and protective measures can prevent the occurrence of tropical diseases and maintain health under conditions of autonomous existence in the rainforest.

"Man in extreme conditions natural environment"
V.G. Volovich.

The Gaia Jungle is a popular destination for extreme tourism and safaris, attracting dozens and hundreds of wealthy people every year, eager for new experiences and testing their strength. Some of the tourists get into trouble and the administration of the sector has to equip rescue expeditions to search for them. Often such expeditions do not find anyone. Since such tragic incidents do not stop those who want to visit Gaia, and often even spur interest in it, this guide is designed to help you survive in the Gaia Jungle and return home with trophies, and most importantly - safe and sound. // From the book "Super Adventure Survival" by Cyrus Virz.

Toxic atmosphere

The first and foremost thing to remember when visiting the Jungle is that everything around is poisonous to humans. In the Jungle of Gaia, even the air is poisonous. The atmosphere of the planet, even in favorable regions of the Arctic or above the ocean, contains a number of oxides of nitrogen, carbon and sulfur, there are organic compounds based on chlorine and phosphorus. In the Gaia Jungle, heavy organic compounds (including organic acids and catalytic enzymes) are added to them, many of which are aggressive environments that are poisonous to humans and corrode a number of materials.

Therefore, the first and most important thing to remember for a person who wants to visit the Gaia Jungle is the availability of reliable protective equipment, which necessarily includes a full protective suit and an air regeneration system. In extreme cases, it is acceptable to use filter systems specially certified for operation in these conditions. It should be understood that without the use of special protective equipment, especially specialized means for air regeneration, a person in the Gaia Jungle receives a lethal defeat of the respiratory organs and other tissues with vapors of toxic substances within minutes.

The exception to this rule is the special regions of Gaia: the northern arctic and southern arctic regions and territories above water spaces, quite remote from land. Conditions in these regions allow local residents to successfully work at night wearing light protective gear (generally limited to only filtered respiratory protection sufficient to protect against inorganic and light organic vapours). However, the tourist should be aware of the average life expectancy of the above local residents and the fact that during the daytime, even the Arctic regions are deadly for a person not protected by heavy protective equipment.

Jungle Monsters

Large active inhabitants of the Gaia Jungle ("monsters", as the local colonists aptly call them) are the hallmark of the planet. What kind of tourist would refuse to get the skin of slayta or hunt gay lianas? A tourist and a safari participant should, however, remember that the "monsters" themselves will not mind eating an unlucky tourist. If we take into account the amazing vitality of some lianas and their colossal strength, it becomes clear why you should not go on a safari without high-quality equipment, weapons, a competent guide and proper technical support.

Fans of extreme recreation planning to visit Gaia for the first time are not recommended to start their acquaintance with the Jungle from the equatorial, subtropical or temperate zones, characterized by increased activity of vines and their size, as well as the presence of such "kings of the Jungle" as celestial whales. It is also not recommended to start acquaintance with "especially extreme" independent sorties. Instead, it would be appropriate to visit the Arctic latitudes or take a short excursion in a relatively developed region as part of a group and with an experienced guide.

When meeting with large aggressive inhabitants of the Jungle, you should assess their degree of danger and attention to your person. It is also very important to be able to estimate the number of creatures and their location - as some inhabitants of the Jungle hunt in packs. An incorrect assessment of the number or location can lead to a sudden attack of "monsters" from an unexpected direction.

In any case, when a "monster" is found, in no case approach it! The fact is that some large aggressive organisms are able to hunt or defend themselves from attack using a sprayed caustic sticky substance (usually including a mixture of digestive enzymes and / or biological toxins of various strengths).

After assessing the threat posed by the creature, you must decide how to proceed in this situation. In most cases (if you are in a well-armed group, and the detected creatures are few or moderately dangerous), it is most correct to use weapons and collect well-deserved trophies, if any, will interest you. However, in some cases it may be wiser to try not to draw too much attention to yourself. This is especially true for large aggressive vines engaged in their activities, especially in cases where you have fallen behind the group, lost your weapon or are forced to conserve the charge of its batteries.

predatory vegetables

Some relatively large sedentary (as opposed to mobile vines) quasi-vegetative life forms in the Jungle hunt and reproduce by spraying sticky digestive enzyme or sharp, fast-flying spiny seeds. Usually such plants burst from time to time or when large living creatures approach them, which they consider as potential food or free transport for their seeds. In a breeding situation, large Gaian animals and active plants simply carry the seeds fixed on their surface to new places, sometimes hundreds of kilometers from the parent plant. However, for a person, getting such a spiny plant blistula, whose weight can reach hundreds of grams, is often fatal or leads to severe injuries.

If you don't want to replenish the number of unfortunate colonists killed by thorns or the caustic digestive enzyme of carnivorous vegetables, always wear a proper quality armor suit in addition to your hazmat suit. Such a suit will protect you from "small" flying troubles, and it will also not be out of place if you, having gone hunting as part of a group, accidentally turn up under the shot of an inaccurate companion.

Claysteron

Any sticky colored substance in the Jungle of Gaia should be avoided wherever possible. Such a substance ("leisteron" in the terminology of local colonists) is a bizarre cocktail of organic acids, catalytic enzymes, various toxins, or is nutrient medium for a number of pathogens of various infectious diseases. It should be noted that for the occurrence of a dangerous infection, it is enough to get just one drop of "kleisteron" on human skin. It should also be remembered that the paste easily corrodes (or, in some cases, "grows" through) a number of materials, including some popular composite fibers from which armor protection of spacesuits is made. Therefore, before entering the Jungle, you should make sure that the outer layer of your spacesuit is covered with a special protective layer that is resistant to local organics.

infectious diseases

The jungle of Gaia is inhabited by a number of pathogens of various infectious diseases. Sporological diseases are the scourge of the local population, no less than the migrations and attacks of the Jungle.

However, as long as you don't take off your protective suit and mask and exercise caution, you have nothing to fear. Just in case, remember - at the first sign of malaise, you should immediately contact a qualified specialist in local diseases.

Poisonous fruits and insects

It should always be remembered that most of the inhabitants of the Jungle and their fruits are poisonous to the human body. Guyanese delicacies - (delishas) - served to the table of the aristocracy, are carefully checked and processed in order to make sure that the fruit is edible and free of harmful toxins and pathogens. It should be remembered that many Guyanese creatures are capable of mimicry and distinguish an edible fruit from its poisonous double only experienced specialists armed with the most modern devices are capable of. The dubious entertainment of eating untested local fruits is best left to the locals. We, the wealthy inhabitants of the civilized planets of the Federation, do not need to risk our health in order to save an extra thousand or two credits on "cutting the mold."

You should also stay away from Guyanese insects and other representatives of the so-called. plankton. While many insects look harmless and seem like a welcome keepsake, many are venomous and ready to sting the unlucky collector.

Topi

The Guyanese swamps are a very dangerous and deadly place. You can get into the swamp both by making a foot or all-terrain raid on the surface of the planet, and in the case of landing in an unexplored place. It is for this reason that landings in unknown places are categorically not recommended - the Guyanese swamp is capable of literally swallowing a whole boat or even a light cruiser in a matter of minutes. As for instruments, they are by no means always able to correctly and timely identify a swampy place under dense multi-tiered vegetation, as well as to distinguish a shallow wet area from a real and deep swamp.

If you find that you are in a swampy place, you should immediately and very carefully get back out. Such moments will require the utmost effort of all forces and attention. Never, under any pretext, succumb to the persuasion of "going through the swamp along the explored safe path", it is better to immediately turn back and even end the tour than to get into the Guyanese swamp.

The specifics of communication in the Jungle

Modern means of communication work very poorly in the conditions of the Jungle Gaia. Therefore, do not be surprised if your communicator constantly loses contact with satellites and communicators of your companions. It's hard to believe, but sometimes the communicators stopped seeing each other at distances of hundreds of meters. If in the Gaia Jungle you urgently need a connection with a satellite (for example, an orbital station ansible), then you should find an opportunity to go to an open or at least elevated place.

Safari equipment

Most important element your safari equipment will be a light space suit (protective suit) made of a material that completely isolates a person from the external environment and is resistant to external organic matter, as well as an air regeneration facility.

At present, suits made of a special resistant material "GeptivekMicrofilarment" are considered to be the best. They are light, durable, guaranteed to protect against active biological substances (the so-called "pasteon"), resistant to the infiltration of harmful organic and inorganic substances of nanoscopic dimensions. These suits are also equipped with a ventilation system that ensures their comfortable long-term wearing and are available in a wide variety of colors (for any climatic zone) and sizes.

As a means for air regeneration and protection of the head and face from the adverse effects of the environment, military and rescue helmets should be preferred. Out of habit, they may seem unnecessarily heavy and even obstruct the view, however, it should be remembered that no other means (including those used by the colonists of the Polar region for night work filtering protective masks "Colonist") do not provide adequate protection against the poisonous atmosphere of Gaia, and reliable deep space helmets are not designed for use on the surface of biologically active planets.

It will be extremely useful, if not mandatory, to have, in addition to a light protective suit, a heavy armored suit or other means of armor protection. It is recommended to use armored suits with the largest protection surface, possibly to the detriment of protective properties: the vast majority of animals and plants of Gaia are not able to penetrate even a light military suit of the lower classes of kinetic and thermal protection; and from the most major representatives(whales, giant lianas) often even light equipment does not save, not to mention personal protective equipment.

It is extremely important to have communication equipment, a supply of water and food in the food system of your suit. Be sure to have several powerful light sources with which you can attract the attention of rescuers, scare away or distract the small "monster" and look around the area. Locals say that the bright light scares off the largest and most aggressive representatives of the Jungle quasi-fauna, who attack prospectors at night.

And of course, you should not forget about the goal of your safari - the extraction of trophies! And that means you'll need a weapon. Take with you only powerful and accurate energy weapons. Old models of weapons (kinetic firearms), light hand-held models (hand blaster, low-powered laser emitters, etc.), as well as models that are not capable of automatic fire - leave them to the locals. The ideal option would be pulse weapons (its compact versions) and AM weapons. Don't forget to bring as many high-capacity spare batteries and a trophy bag as possible.

And, of course, you will need high quality holographic recording equipment to capture such exciting and pleasant moments of your life!

locals

Do not forget that Gaia is an actively developing planet with certain difficulties in the administrative control of its contingent, problems with reliable communications and a number of other economic and administrative difficulties. Therefore, when communicating with the local population, you should be careful and careful, it is highly recommended not to give out any information about the purpose of your visit or the planned route. If suspicious persons (especially stateless persons) are found, they should be immediately reported to representatives of local law enforcement forces or other representatives of the administration.

It is highly discouraged to visit all sorts of dubious establishments in artisanal settlements. For the needs of tourists and safari participants, comfortable hotels and entertainment establishments are organized in all large settlements, and if you wish to visit the "mining quarters", the administration conducts inexpensive excursions with experienced guides and reliable unobtrusive security.