When I was a kid, maybe five years old, my next door neighbor had a very large dog. A New Foundland, German Shepard mix named Brutus. I was walking around the neighborhood one day and watched him barking madly at me from his yard. He was chained to a 4X4 stake in the ground. Said stake broke and he lunged after me. Running for my life I was probably the most scared I have ever been. Thinking that if he caught me I’d be dead, and he’d eat me alive. Needless to say some 28 years later I lived to tell the tale.
But the purely primal fear of being eaten alive has haunted my dreams on occasion, so much so that it has morphed into not just being eaten alive by ravenous wild dogs but other things as well. Like sharks, lions, alligators etc…etc…
What I would like to know is, how would one fend off an attack from say a Lion, alligator, or shark? If an attack is imminent is it possible to fend it off?
Not sure about lions or alligators, but supposedly (according to Discovery Channel, anyway :dubious: ) a shark will often challenge you first, investigating. If you’re in the water, and a shark bumps you, supposedly a swift punch in the nose will often send it on its way. A friend of mine was bumped by a shark off the beach in Florida and just reflexively punched it (not hearing that it might help, or anything), and it promptly swam away. YMMV This is also assuming you’re not lying on your belly on a raft-thing that makes you look just like a seal or something.
My Worst Case Scenario desk calendar (a takeoff from the book series) described how to fend off alligators and sharks - basically, you have to go for the sensitive spots like the eyes, make the animal think that you’re more trouble than it’s worth.
AHH yes FH - I have the series in books, but in a real life situation I wonder if endorphins would take over or fight or flight… honestly I’d be more weary of a Lion than anything else…
I mean geez, imagine a 400 pound cat with two inch teeth chomping into your shoulder while you waite tenuously for it to sever something so the pain goes away. Cracking bones and intense pain don’t sit well with me knowing all along I am soon to be digested…
Sorry for the graphic details but the human fight or flight response fascinates me. Call me a psych instructor.
By “eaten alive,” do you mean “swallowed whole?” There are only a very few sharks large enough to do that, plus killer whales, etc. (I think a sperm whale could, but I also am under the impression he wouldn’t really want to…)
Darn near all carnivores kill their prey first, then start in a-noshing. The fact that they’re using their mouths to kill you doesn’t really mean they’re “eating” you – think of it, instead, as the analogue of a person using his teeth to open a bag of snacks.
The best way to deal with a single attacking dog is to force feed it your weak arm then use your strong arm and legs to attack its belly and genitals. Your weak arm gets mauled some, but you can reduce that by wrapping your arm in your jacket if you have the time. Multiple dogs are bad news if you aren’t armed. Really huge dogs like Rotties and Mastiffs may defeat you even one-on-one.
Even a walking stick evens things up a good bit. A good, big knife makes the belly attacks vastly more effective. Another method I’ve heard of is to feed the dog your weak arm and then brain him with a ballpeen hammer. That one came from a dog trainer. Overall, especially when dealing with multiple dogs, I think a gun in a serious caliber is your best bet.
This is also assuming you’re not lying on your belly on a raft-thing that makes you look just like a seal or something.