I can tell you right now that if I ever came face-to-face with a Siberian tiger, I would not know what to do. I would probably do the worst thing ever and start running for my life. But hey, are any of us truly prepared for that situation? Well, it would appear that one man was. Rather than being frightened this man implemented an interesting tactic to scare the large cat off.
Man Uses Interesting Tactic When Coming Face-To-Face With A Siberian Tiger
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While the average person may have run, or frozen in fear, this man took a different approach to scaring off the tiger. The Daily Mail shares that when this man encountered the wild animal, "on a snow-covered road in Primorye, Russia," he opted for a unique technique. Rather than sprint off in the other direction this man chose to unload a boat load of profanities at the tiger.
I guess that profanities are deemed rude even across other species because the tiger took a momentary pause. It almost seemed to reflect on the man's use of bold words. Then, it slowly began to retreat back into the forest from which it emerged. I can't tell if this was a brave or just downright crazy technique. While it was definitely the right call to remain calm when coming face-to-face with a Siberian tiger, I don't know if I condone the use of profanities towards it.
Siberian Tigers In Russia
Apparently coming face-to-face with a Siberian tiger is not so uncommon in Russia. With the shortage of wild prey, these big cats are wandering closer and closer to villages in search of food. The Times shared that, "Three people and numerous dogs have been killed by Siberian tigers in the Primorye and Khabarovsk regions of the far east this winter." Horses are also on the list of victims from these big cats.
As their food sources dwindle, encounters between the tigers and humans are becoming increasingly more common. Although this man's methods may be uncommon, they were aligned with typical recommendations for surviving a tiger attack. When a tiger is approaching you, there are three things to keep in mind. First stay calm. If you begin running their natural instinct will be to chase you.
Instead, back away slowly while still facing the tiger. Try to avoid any sudden movements and looking into its eyes. Additionally, you want to make yourself seem as big as possible. Stand up straight, puff out your chest, hold your arms out wide. You do not want to appear small or weak, that signals you as prey. Finally, you can repel the attacking tiger with noise. If you have a firearm you can shoot it off into the air. Or if you have keys or metal or glass try jingling them. Also, you can shout at the tiger but if you do so, do it with full confidence.
So honestly all things considered, this man did everything right. He just chose to add some colorful language to his shouting. However, he survived the encounter and didn't harm the animal so I would call it a win-win.
