Many of us know that inattention and disregard for safety rules in any sphere of human life invariably entails problems of varying degrees of complexity. But when such negligence occurs in the wild, it almost always leads to tragic consequences. The heroes of our history today had to make sure by their own example that the rules of behavior in the forest are the same for everyone, and often even at all, written in the blood of their predecessors.
It happened in the dense forests of Eastern Siberia, shortly before the opening of the hunting season. On a warm autumn day, a group of extreme tourists consisting of three people decided to test their strength and endurance among the evergreen forests lying on the right side of the Yenisei. The young people refused the guide offered by the tour leaders, citing high physical fitness and detailed knowledge of the terrain based on the study of topographic maps. The starting point for fans of extreme sports was the taiga village, in one of the houses of which they comfortably settled down after they got off the train.
In addition to the items and food necessary for the hike, the tourists took a video camera with them, hoping to shoot a report in order to later share it on the Internet. Local residents advised them to stay near the riverbank so as not to get lost in an unfamiliar area. But as soon as the tourists left the village, they immediately turned off the route and plunged into the forest thicket. The guys talked loudly and laughed, thereby violating the generally accepted norms of behavior in the wild. Ignoring the recommendations of local residents, young people did everything possible to attract the attention of forest dwellers.
According to the calculations of the hapless travelers, there should have been no large predators in this area. The guys wanted to shoot top-end material, which was bound to make its owners famous. They already had a video with a couple of squirrels and a forest owl. But when a characteristic growl was heard not far away, and a massive bear’s head appeared from the bushes, the tourists looked at each other in fright and rushed into the scattering, which was absolutely impossible to do. Because the bear is able to move at a speed exceeding human speed by many times. During his stampede, one of the tourists stumbled over a snag sticking out of the ground and sprawled on the ground.
Out of fear, the guy froze, and the bear that jumped up to him began to sniff the prey, still not knowing what to do with it. Deciding that it was not worth leaving the trophy for scavengers to feed, the bear touched the tourist’s leg with his paw. Out of fear, he screamed loudly, jumping to his feet, and stared at the clubfoot. The bear growled hollowly, and the guy’s hand involuntarily felt the signal canister with smoke, which was in the pocket of each of the members of the tourist group. The young man had no other weapon with him, so his fingers automatically pressed the valve. There was a sharp hiss, and then the pressurized canister spewed out a cloud of red smoke that instantly enveloped the bear and its victim.
From surprise, the predator recoiled back and, drenched with saliva, began to sneeze and cough. This time was just enough for the guy to leave such a dangerous place. Would-be tourists, hungry and stripped, were picked up two days later by hunters, trappers, who were bypassing the plots before the start of the season. It was clear from their faces that the extreme they had received would now be enough for many years to come. In pursuit of illusory fame, people often confuse forest lands with a film set, thereby exposing themselves and others to mortal danger.
It’s hard to say what would have happened if the tourist hadn’t had a signal canister. Most likely, he would still get on the front pages of the country’s Internet sites, though not in the column – “animal life”, but on a portal dedicated to accidents in the wild. Friends, if you liked this story, please like it, write your comments and share it with your friends.