Keeping distance from wildlife and behaviour in encounters

Most wild animals react to people by fleeing. Every animal has a kind of invisible bubble around it: when something unfamiliar enters, it becomes alert, and if it comes closer still, the animal runs away. How large this bubble is depends on the species, the season and the animal's experience with people. As long as the animal has room to move away, an encounter usually resolves itself.

Things become difficult when an animal cannot or will not move away. That happens when it is surprised, when its escape route is blocked or when it is defending something important – its young or its food. Then even a normally shy animal may defend itself. Distance gives the animal the choice to leave, and attentiveness keeps you from surprising it at close range.

Animals that have been fed are a special case. They lose their natural shyness and associate people with food. Such animals come closer, beg or become pushy. That is dangerous for people and often fatal for the animals, because in the worst case the authorities then have to kill them.

Preparation is the most important part. Before your trip, read the guidance of the local park or wildlife authority: which large animals live there? Which distances are recommended? Is certain equipment required? These rules differ greatly from area to area, which is why this entry deliberately gives no fixed numbers in metres.

On the way, it helps to make yourself noticed where visibility is poor – in dense forest, by noisy streams or before blind bends. Talk loudly or call out now and then. That way animals hear you early and can move away before you suddenly come face to face.

If you bring a dog, keep it on a lead. Dogs running free can flush and chase wild animals. Some animals then turn round and chase the dog – which may well run straight back to you, bringing the animal along. Lead requirements in protected areas exist for exactly this reason.

Three situations are especially delicate: mothers with young, animals at food or at a carcass, and animals you surprise at close range. Avoid them by a wide margin. Never get between a mother and her young – even if the young animal seems alone, the mother is often nearby.

If an encounter does happen, the first rule is: stay calm, increase the distance, leave the animal a way out and keep it in view. Do not walk towards the animal to drive it away. What else is right – standing still, making yourself look big, backing away slowly or using spray – depends on the species. Only the local authority's rules apply here, because a misapplied rule can make an encounter worse.

If a wild animal bites or scratches you, have the wound checked by a doctor even if it looks small. For serious injuries call the local emergency number (112 in the EU). Report animals that have lost their shyness, seem sick or pester people to the park administration or the relevant authority.

The classic example is the photo. An animal stands by the path, everyone pulls out a phone, and step by step the distance shrinks. Better: stand still, use binoculars or zoom and leave the animal in peace. A photo from a distance shows a natural, calm animal – a close-up usually shows a stressed one.

You also meet wildlife on roads, especially at dusk along forest edges. Drive more slowly there. If an animal stands on the road, brake, dip your headlights, sound the horn and do not swerve dangerously – swerving can be more dangerous than the animal itself.

In the forest a young animal sometimes looks abandoned. Often the mother has only left it lying there and will come back. Do not touch it and do not take it with you. If you are worried, report it to the relevant authority and move on.

The US National Park Service and the Leave No Trace principles agree: observe wildlife from a distance, never feed it and do not crowd it. For bears, the National Park Service publishes detailed, area-specific guidance.

You may have heard general rules such as “run away” or “play dead”. Rules of thumb like these are right for some animals in some situations and exactly wrong for others. That is why this entry leaves them out and refers you to the local authority, which knows its animals best.