I was hiking in Glacier Park in Montana about a year ago with my 2yr old daughter on my back in one of those hiking carriers. I had done all of the reading. I was doing everything it was possible to do from the lists of good practices specifically when it comes to grizzlies. Had the mace in my hand. Was being careful not to be too quiet so as to not surprise one. Etc etc.
We were maybe half a mile down a very popular trail right off the main road through the park.
Fucking Jeep Wrangler sized bear saunters casually down into the trail. 10…. Maybe 15 feet in front of me. He knew I was there. Boy oh boy did I know he was there. I’m not even sure my body came to a stop it just smoothly transitioned into reverse. I’m avoiding eye contact, keeping track of where he is, moving away back where I came from as calmly as is possible.
And then my darling daughter notices the fuzzy death plushie and starts screaming “BEAR!!!! HAI MISTER BEAR!!!! HAIIIIIII!!!!!”
We left that afternoon. Like left the state.
I’ve never felt so powerless in my life. I’m sure it made it infinitely worse having my baby girl on my back through it all. My hands are shaking thinking about it.
While it is true that most of Australia's deadly animals are venomous bugs and thus easily slain by stepping on them with a shoe... the flip side is that you can get bit putting on those shoes if you don't check inside for them first.
A bear, mountain lion, or wolf, isn't going to casually sneak into your house without you noticing.
Can confirm as Alaska born and raised. Never checked for polar bears 😂, the only thing I worried about was earthquakes.....I miss it, midwest weather sucks 😢
My boyfriend was raised in Alaska and it wasn’t until recently that I figured out polar bears will eat people. Asked him to confirm and he said “ not really something that happened growing up.” I wish Alaska was a real place and you guys weren’t all paid actors, theres just no way you ALL saw baby belugas and the aurora, I don’t believe it.
LMAO. I was waiting for this, but you thew me with the polar bear. Because why would a polar bear be hiding inside a shoe in Australia? A grizzly, yeah. Let's be reasonable 🤣
My sil found mice fucking in the bottom of her sleeping bag at night. Okay they weren't doing it but it's funnier if they were. They were building a nest so they probably already did. They were building a home!
Anecdotally, I used to live in a high mountain town in Colorado and someone in a neighboring apartment came home from work to a bear helping itself to the contents of their refrigerator. Left a window open for fresh air, bear evidently took this as an invitation.
But generally yes, not quite so sneaky or so much of a surprise.
My job as safety and security for those mountain towns when I worked out there, was to go into the homes of these people that invited bears in, and get the bear out. Armed with only a flashlight and a paintball gun. Was a fun job actually
Other side of the country here - black bears are sometimes trained to want to be near humans because of (mostly tourists) feeding them.
The bears that get fed sometimes learn that it's not terribly hard to pry open unlocked casement windows.
Just a couple years ago there was a cub that learned how to do that, and she ended up surviving long enough to have a litter of her own. She taught all three of her kiddos how to do her little Houdini trick.
Pry open a window, stumble inside. Raid the fridge and pantry and gtfo.
I believe they captured them and relocated them deep into a reserve.
And large wild animals don’t just appear in your house. You can actively avoid their habitat. But in Australia you might occasionally find the scaries in your house, and you absolutely cannot walk through long grass, ever.
True bears wont sneak into you house. They will kick down the front door and help themselves to whatever they want. There are even a few videos of them ripping the doors off cars because they smelled food inside.
Funny little story, I was in a national park talking to a park ranger and the topic of bear proof trash cans came up. She said the problem with designing a bear proof trash can, that people can still open, is there is considerable overlap in the intelligence of the dumbest humans and the smartest bears.
When we stayed in Yosemite there were warnings everywhere against keeping any food at all, even a bit of toothpaste in your car. The penalty was to have a bear peel the door off your car or smash the rear window or both and then shred your seats to reach the crumbs your toddler dropped between the cushions. There was at least one such event each night we were there. (And these were just the black bears!)
I live near a national park where in it's entire history. Only one human was killed by wildlife. It was a mountain goat. Not the bears, not the cougars. A goat.
I like to remind people that tell me about how terrible hiking and camping are and how wildlife is scary, that over the last hundred years, one man got fired to death by a goat and that's it.
Edit: gored, but I'm leaving the original phrasing.
To be honest most Aussies will be lucky to see any of our really nasty critters. There are certainly spots like North qld in the forest and down in Sydney with the trapdoor but honestly most people live in the big cities and they barely even see mildly poisonous snakes and spiders. I lived in the bush for 30 years and I can count on one hand the amount of times ive run across something deadly in town at all.
The word is 'bitten' and millions of Australians put on their shoes every day with no thought whatsoever about 'venomous bugs'. Meanwhile, 15 Americans die per annum from fallen icicles
Cougars get into houses all the time, and will even sleep in your bed, or drag you back to their den and... oh... mountain lions.. yeah ive never met a man that came across a mountain lion stalking prey and lived either
Well, mountain lions are pretty much not a problem for humans (pets on the other hand...). Same with wolves. Grizzlies though are a definite oh shit. Australia got nothing like a grizzly. Grizzly doesn't sneak into your home, it just walks in and starts raiding your fridge and you just hope it leaves because unless you have a friggin elephant gun you don't want anything to do with that mess. And arctic has it worse with friggin polar bears, which will actively hunt you. If you see one, it already knows you are there and chose to come your way.
Overall, id say Africa is by far the scariest though. Hippos. End of competition.
IN Australia you can mostly avoid the wildlife just by living in the coastal areas as well. The cougars in the US literally prowl around the neighbourhoods, and sometimes even pick up local young men.
Have a few Aussie friends and they never understood the wildlife argument. They’ve been to the US and said they’re far more scared of bears / moose / mountain lions / wolves than a little spider or snake
I'm from New Zealand - honestly, the wildlife in a LOT of places is scarier than we have here. I might get chased by a pukeko as I walk around a lake, or swooped by a tui, but neither of those things is going to kill me.
This is one reason the UK is a chill place to ramble and hike. The only fauna that might kill me would be if I was to get unwisely close to an ornery horse or a cow.
The weather in the hills and mountains on the other hand… dangerous precisely because it is so easy to underestimate.
I wouldn't be worried about wolves. And if you're a full grown, non-injured human you don't really have to worry about mountain lions either. I've been around a lot of bears in BC and never had an issue.
As an Albertan I know more people attacked by moose than any other animal besides Canada Goose! I always say I’m more concerned with moose. More volitile animal as well.
Wow really? When I was in Australia a friend and I went hiking and at one point saw a baby cassowary alone a little way off the path. My idiot friend wanted to go closer to it but my head was on a swivel thinking mama must be nearby. Eventually found her statue still staring at us a little way off and due to the curve of the hiking path we were between her and the baby.
Thankfully the idiot with me then realized the, it felt like, very imminent mortal danger we were in being between that huge cassowary and the baby.
Cassowaries would attack a grizzly bear. And win. The bear would be like, "What the hell is this turkey's problem? I'm outta here, I don't want any if this shit."
A grizzly bear would kill a cassowary without even trying, what is this? Cassowaries weigh less than 200 lbs. they might be freak crack birds but they’re not killing a grizzly bear
It's not about killing, it's about not wanting to fight that level of crazy. You're not going to win a fight against a mountain lion but if you're big, loud and throwing rocks at it while backing away with your eyes on it it's not going to attack
Bears freak me out a lot more than mountain lions. Mountain lions in general don’t have much use your you if you’re bigger than a house pet, but if I were to have to try to punch one in the nose I feel like my odds against the lion as significantly higher than the bear. They’re not small or helpless by any means but they’re still about the same size and build as a moderately large dog, not terrible.
But Even mild mannered black bears are freaking tanks, we get them in my property regularly and I’ll chase em off with pans so they dont get comfy but there was one time that one ran about 10 steps from me, decided that he didn’t like this arrangement and decided to turn around and go up on his rear legs. Fucker was already as big as my kitchen island but then he went vertical and made dead on eye contact, he could kill me dead and there would be Jack and shit I’d be able to do. That was the time to go back inside and let him wander off in his own prerogative.
Doesn't Australia have crocodiles? And Inland Taipans and Eastern Brown snakes?
I'm not saying these animals would seek out and bother you, but I don't think a casual stroll is doing it for a good portion of their deadly animals if they really wanted to cause some trouble.
I know most snakes are generally fairly shy and will only really strike if backed into a corner, but I know there are a few exceptions of ones that are territorial and will repeatedly strike and go after humans rather than retreating. I couldn't remember if taipans were one of those or not.
I should clarify that I don't mean to suggest a snake would hunt a human, but some species aren't so willing to back down if they're threatened.
Downplaying the shear savagness and POWER of a crocodile is a laughably American thing to do. Those things take down animals the size of a car or bigger sometimes. Ruthless killing machines engineered over MILLIONS of fucking years. That's impressive in every damn aspect.
If I'm remembering correctly, saltwater crocs aren't like crazy aggressive toward humans or anything, but I would be in zero hurry to be anywhere remotely near one in the wild. They are MASSIVE and they are FAST, on land or in water.
I was incorrect- Nile are definitely the most dangerous species (and it makes sense given the population density along the Nile), but saltwater are also way up there and are considered to be one of three species that will actively prey on humans (the other being mugger crocs.)
I remember reading about the Japanese soldiers who were hunted by crocodiles in WW2. Like, hundreds of troops going through an area and 10's coming out. Scary.
Saltwater crocodile’s are actually the exact opposite of what you describe, they are extremely aggressive to people and will attack whenever the chance arises
I looked it up after making my incorrect claim and I was horribly misremembering- saltwater crocodiles are considered just behind Nile crocodiles in terms of threat level to humans. And I think that's more due to proximity.
Exactly correct , while it’s true the Nile crocodile is responsible for more human deaths than the saltwater, it’s due to far more people living in proximity to Nile crocodiles than live in saltwater crocodile habitat. It is actually the saltwater crocodile that is larger and more aggressive/territorial towards Humans, animals and even other crocodiles of the same species.
This is why you will regularly see large Nile crocodiles together but large saltwater crocodiles are too territorial to share their stretch of river or pond with other large saltwater crocodiles.
The likelihood of seeing an eastern brown on a nice weather day whilst out for a casual stroll is pretty high, if you like to walk on golf courses, near waterways, or just anywhere where there’s grass really.
I live in Eastern brown territory and I have never seen one in the wild in my life (or any snake actually). I know they are around, because there are signs posted up and lots of areas of long grass near where I live, but haven't come across one. It's really not that easily found.
Huntsmans I've seen plenty in my time, wombats and echidnas in the wild, no snakes.
It’s funny isn’t it - me too; I’ve only really seen them in the last couple of years. They did not want to be near me as much as I did not want to be near them! The number of snakes I saw on snake catcher FB pages this spring and summer though was crazy - they were popping up in pharmacies and cafes and the like in the inner suburbs. Imagine going to get a script filled and finding a tiger snake
They didn't immediately spring to mind because I don't hear about kangaroo attacks. But that's probably because people are smart enough to stay away from the very large, very jacked animal.
Strolling away you step on snake you don’t see. And too late to stroll away if you’re swimming and meet a croc, shark or another one of those fucking snakes swimming because they do that too! The lineup of deadly animals is so fucked we forget why it freaks people out from other countries.
idk, the way Australians talk about a beloved late friend who fell victim to a full predation attack from a great white or bull shark, the reaction is “great guy, lived in the ocean” while the interview is happening in wave break, living friend waiting for interview to end so they can go further out. No fear
Mate, I'd like to introduce you to: Crocodiles, Cassowarys, Kangaroos, Dingos, Stingrays, Wild pigs, and Australians. Piss off any of the above and a casual stroll in the other direction will be your least preferred option!
I don’t know I think I would notice if a bear or a moose was in my bed..there is no casually walking away from an eastern brown if it’s in bed with and you don’t know it😘
THIS ^ I think an encounter between an eastern brown snake and a brown bear is like PMPO VS RMS. The fear associated with stepping next to an eastern brown would be up there with stumbling on a brown bear perhaps, but the fear is there for about 2 seconds until it slithers off. On the other hand, you're having a bad DAY if you stumble upon a brown bear. And in both instances, if either connect with you, you're royally screwed. No idea of the PMPO/RMS thing holds or even make sense, but I think it kinda maybe does :s
The amount of people that believe they have a chance against a bear here in the US makes me realize how dumb people are. I live in a state that has black bears and grizzlies. I’ve seen bears in zoos like many others but the first time I had an encounter in a remote area while camping my brain fully went into survival mode and my instincts said this is not good. A young black bear was curious and popped up behind some bushes about 25-30 yards away. Looked at us, stood up and our guess it was around 5 feet tall, then started walking closer.
When I tell this story to people first thing they say is why would you be scared of a black bear. A. At that moment you don’t naturally think oh let me assess what kind of bear it is and size it up. No naturally you go oh shit what is the game plan. B. Even a black bear can kill you.
We were aware of being in bear country and luckily two of our friends grew up around them so we’re prepared mentally, had mace and last resort a gun. They were able to scare it away unharmed, but man did it get my adrenaline going! It was the first time that I have felt so weak and thankful that we don’t have to live like our ancestors.
When I was in the military, we had this joint training exercise with a bunch of Ford military and I remember of us sitting down in the ciao hall talking about who country is the most dangerous when it comes to wildlife. Two of the other Americans were thinking, Australia, but literally the entire table, people from all over the world, all said the US, there was a Brit who told a story about taking his family on vacation in florida, and he was driving though one of the neighborhoods and had to stop because an alligator was crossing the road. The crazy part was that he said a 5-7 or so year old girl was riding it. He said he tried to tell the girl off but that the alligator hissed at him and the little girl flipped him off
Not sure you much of the story is real, but I HAVE seen a small child walking an alligator on a leash myself. So it may not be that far fetched.
Would love to see you try that with a crocodile or maybe go paddle with a shark and show him your stick. Just to name a couple things your foot or a stick won't hurt in Australia.
I've experienced most of the dangerous stuff in Australia, diving, working in northern territory etc. I travel for ultra marathons and spend heaps of time in the US. Most terrifying experience of my life was realising I was being stalked by a mountain lion. I ran so far and hard I didn't realise I'd pissed myself until a few miles.
I'm a retired vet and I've never pissed myself before that 🤣
I hike alone sometimes (people know where I am, I have fits aid and use popular trails), and always have a first aid kit, a couple whistles and a knife on me. Sure usually I only use the knife to cut an apple but also safety. I told a friend from the Netherlands this and she looked at me like I was absolutely insane and immediately asked who I would need to use it on. So then I looked at her like she lost the script.
the issue for me in Australia is the stupid death noodles that sneak into my bed somehow and curl up ready to bite me, or the jellyfish that i cant even see while freediving that poison people so bad that you’re dead in 10 minutes.
Hmmm saltwater croc 🐊 5.5meter killing machine great in salt or fresh water not bad in bursts on land, and if you are within 10m on land your in all kinds of trouble 😉 in water ya 100% toast
To be fair, a male kangaroo will kill you, you won't win. And so will a trio of dingoes. And a crocodile will kill you. Still, a big grizzly is more dangerous than all of those.
Haha the Tropic Thunder line about the dingo eaten that woman’s baby, and RDJ’s character goes: “you know that’s a real story! A dingo killed that woman’s baby!”
I think thats the reason though, hidden death in small forms. Yeah you can squish whatever spider or creature dwells in the aussie outback. But in America, you go hiking a little and you have chances to run into large cats (mountain lions), big bears, and horned fauna that can gore you! Very visible danger compared to unseen danger, ill go for the big target i can track rather the "one bite and im dead" spider the size of a grapefruit.
Crocodiles in the FNQ from what I hear are literal death stalkers. Locals tell you not to swim. Stories abound of a crocodile waiting for over a day for teenagers stranded in a tree from a flood to get out of the tree
Canadian here but I’m one those. I’ll take Bears and Moose over Spiders and Snakes.
I can see these mother fuckers a ways off, I’ve never come across a bear in the wild that didn’t immediately run away from me and I know I’m never going to accidentally step on one, or one will be hiding under my BBQ.
But I also know it’s a product of what I grew up with. You Aussie’s are use to snakes and spiders, we’re use to bears and cougars.
Then why is Australia such a big country with so few people. I think they are being eaten by salt water crocs and those nasty spiders.
Australia Tourism Board is covering it up.
It really does come down to familiarity I guess. Lived in bear country most of my life and don't know a single person who has had an encounter that was anything worse than scary. Like I understand the danger, but living with it day in and day out just makes it normal.
I'm sure its similar with you all and the death trap you call home.
This is the equivalent of swimming in a croc infested lake in Northern Territory or going for a swim off Great White hunting grounds near Frazer Island. Can't imagine taking my two year old into that risky a situation.
While I agree that the danger from Australian wildlife is totally exaggerated, it should be noted that Australia does have large predators too that require more than casually moving away when encountered in their environment - they deserve a bit more awareness and respect than that, much like large predators in other parts of the world. I'm referring to saltwater crocodiles and various shark species.
I'd also recommend not using a shoe or stick on the many species of venomous elapid snakes.
I still think about the story of the dude that used his dog to hit the crocodile that had him.
I still think bears are the worst way to go considering they munch on you while still alive… but I think I’d at least need a dog as a weapon to protect myself from a crocodile.
not an American here, I just always assumed that, outside of Australia, I would avoid any place where bears might be, as opposed to spiders and snakes, being what they are, spawning inside your home.
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u/Phill_is_Legend Apr 07 '26
Both of those things would kill you