Asia is a huge continent that encompasses large areas of rain forest, desert and metropolitan cities. It is the most densely populated region on the planet, and home to more animal species than any other region. Certain creatures in Asia have the power to kill humans, and have done so on many occasions. The intrepid traveller should learn a little bit about what to expect, before they set off on the unbeaten path.
The humble tiger comes in at number five on the list of 'the most scary' animals in Asia. It is the largest of all big cats, whereby it has been popularised through western movies, and engrained into the mythology of certain countries within the region. The tiger is generally a solitary animal that likes to quietly go about its business. They ruled the Asian rain forests long before the introduction of human inhabitants, and it is only in recent times that these settlements have caused a conflict. One example of this is a recent cyclone, which swept through Bangladesh. This forced the tigers out of their habitat, resulting in six human deaths and 12 mauling's.
The King Cobra can reach lengths of up to 20 feet, which makes it the longest venomous snake in the world. They are one of the only snakes that are capable of sitting on their own body, which enables them to rear up to the height of a fully grown man. This gives them an incredible amount of agility, alongside a wide scope of vision. Once aggravated they are hard to shake off, and have even been known to chase humans. Their venom is a 'neurotoxin' which has the power to disable a victim's nervous system. Bite victims suffer from a 75% mortality rate; owing to the power of venom and the lack of medical care within the region.
One of the lesser known creatures of the region in the Asian giant hornet. These huge wasp like creatures sometimes have wing spans that are bigger than humming birds, and can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. It is often commonly referred to as the 'Japanese Giant Hornet', due to the fact that it kills numerous people per in Japan alone. The European hornet only causes problems to those who suffer from anaphylaxis, which is a very small percentage of the global population. The giant hornet's venom is far worse than its European cousin, and can easily strike down a healthy adult with just one sting. The stinger itself is the length of a finger nail, which injects a powerful neurotoxin into its victim.
The number one scariest creature in Asia has to be the reticulated python. The biggest recorded python of this type is around 6.5 metres, which when put into context is roughly the same size as a school bus. The reticulated python occupies rain forests, wetlands and grasslands. The snakes have had to evolve due to human encroachment of their habitat, whereby they are reported to prey on small mammals and domesticated pets, in cities like Kuala Lumpa and Bangkok.
Probably the scariest fact of them all is that there is a huge wealth of evidence to suggest that the snakes have been able to eat small children and teenagers. On September 4th, 1955 a rubber tapper named Ee Heng Chuan was squeezed to death by a reticulated python. His brother stumbled across his corpse deep in the jaws of the python, which required four gun shots to kill it.
Bill Casserley is an experienced first aider, who truly believes "life is for learning". Could you avoid an animal attack? If not then visit the manual handling training blog @ http://www.train-aid.co.uk for video tutorials.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Casserley
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7814401
