The Lion Survival Quiz
Forget the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. Real lions are anything but scared-y cats. They are dangerous apex predators and it's not unheard of for them to attack and even eat humans. Take our quiz to see how you would fare against the animal known as the King of the Savannah...
You are brave (or perhaps crazy?) enough to set off on a trip through the African bush and savannah. But you're not going anywhere without a suitable defensive weapon. You take along:
A firearm
Pepper spray
A large stick
Any of the above
Any of the above can be used effectively as a defensive weapon against lions. Firearms should, obviously, only be used responsibly and as a deterrent, not with the intention of inflicting lethal force. Continue with the quiz to delve into the ways each of these weapons can be used during a lion attack.
The last thing you want to do is run into a pride of lions. So, as you travel, you keep your eye out for signs that would alert you to their presence. One telltale signal that clearly says "stay away" is:
A group of elephants
A half-eaten carcass
A Nile crocodile on the banks of a river
A pack of African wild dogs
Lions are fierce predators, but the sheer size of elephants is usually enough to deter lions from attacking. It's not unheard of for a group of lions to take down an elephant, but you generally won't find lions prowling around such formidable prey. Likewise, lions tend to steer clear of Nile crocodiles, which are their only sympatric predator (i.e. the only predator that can threaten a lion single-handedly). As for the African wild dogs, they have a great deal to fear from lions, which tend to dominate the relationship, so their presence is not a clear sign to keep away.
A half-eaten carcass, however, is like a red flag. Lions are very protective of their meat and you don't want to be caught looking like you're trying to make off with a lion's food. Of course, the carcass may belong to something other than a lion, but you probably want to avoid any carnivorous predator in these parts.
During your travels, you come across a great deal of fresh animal spoor (tracks). You recognize it as lion spoor because it looks like:
A rounded triangle with four ovals in an arc over the top
A rounded triangle with four irregular marks in an arc and four small points above the marks
A jigsaw puzzle piece with one pointed and three oval marks in an arc over the top
A handprint with five short, pointed fingers
If you come across tracks that look like a large jigsaw puzzle piece with one pointed and three oval marks, you've found yourself some lion spoor (front paws). It's probably best NOT to follow those tracks…although the other tracks may lead to some equally nasty surprises (a = leopard, b = spotted hyena, d = crocodile).
In addition to staying alert for signs that lions may be near, you can improve your chances of avoiding a pride by:
Staying as quiet as possible
Making noise while you walk
Staying out in open spaces
Both B & C
If you're trying to avoid getting into trouble with lions, you will be better off sticking to open spaces where lions (or other predators) can see you. You should also make noise as you walk along because the last thing you want to do is startle a pride of lions. Keeping quiet won't help keep you alive, at least in this instance.
Despite all of your best efforts to give lions a wide berth during this journey, you come upon a pride of lions. You should be most concerned about this development if you see:
Cubs
Mating lions
Sleeping lions
Both A & B
Don't feel too relaxed if you come upon a sleeping lion. As Animal Planet's big predator expert Dave Salmoni put it, "a sleeping lion can wake and kill you faster than you can pull out your camera." But lions are more likely to be immediately aggressive if there are cubs around or if you've caught them in the act of procreation.
The lions have noticed your presence and a large male lion — probably the head of the pride — has taken a particular interest. The best way to avoid an attack is by:
Staying clam and slowly moving away from the lion
Freezing
Turning and running as fast as you can
Making aggressive motions and sounds to intimidate the lions
You should always assume that a lion is aggressive, and you should act accordingly by staying calm and moving slowly in a direction away from the lion. In general, a lion has no intention of hurting a human so you don't want to provoke them to attack by acting aggressive, yourself. You also don't want to run away because that will make you seem like prey. And, of course, it doesn't make much sense to freeze because — after all — you're facing off with a very deadly predator and the best thing is to put distance between you and the lion.
Sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to, and this is one of those instances. You've done your best to move calmly and slowly away from the lion, but he looks undeterred. The lion charges and so you immediately:
Stand your ground
Shout and wave your arms, making yourself as big as possible
Both A & B
None of the above
If a lion charges, the time for acting timid is over. Again, you don't want to be mistaken for easy prey, so never turn your back and run. Instead, stand your ground and make yourself seem like a formidable foe. A big show of bravado might change the lion's mind about attacking or at least make him think twice.
Now is the time to use your defensive weapons. The appropriate way to do so would be to:
Fire a shot in the air
Give the lion a direct shot of pepper spray
Pound your big stick on the ground
Pull out your gun and wave it around — the sight of a gun will be deterrent enough
If you want to use your firearm (let's reiterate — responsibly), you can fire a shot at the ground in front the lion. That will be more effective than firing a shot in the air or simply waving it around (we're talking about lions here, not late-night customers in a gas station). Pounding your big stick might be a helpful part of your intimidation routine from question #7, but it's not a very effective way to use a defensive weapon. Your best bet is to wait until the lion is within range of your pepper spray and then do your best to deliver a direct hit.
This lion is on a mission and nothing seems to be stopping him from coming at you fast and furious (and you obviously missed with that pepper spray). The lion pounces on you and, to improve your chances of staying alive, you:
Cover your neck and throat
Fall to the ground and play dead
Fight back as hard as you can
Cover your head
You are no match for the lion, so fighting back won't do you much good. You are better off spending your energy on protecting the vulnerable places where the lion will try to attack — namely, your neck and throat.
Suddenly, the lion stops moving and is now just lying on top of you. Now is a good time to:
Fight back
Do nothing and just stay still
Yell and scream
None of the above
It seems as though each new scenario with this lion calls for a new tactic. In this instance, you should lie completely still and the lion may very well lose interest over time. If this is the case, you may make it out of lion territory alive.
Correct
Sorry to say, you don't fare well when it comes to either avoiding lions or surviving a lion attack. You probably emerged from your African travels with more than a few battle scars (if you emerged at all!), but hopefully next time you'll be better prepared.
Correct
You're still no match for the King of the Savannah, but at least you made it out just a bit worse for the wear. Now that you've had a face-to-face encounter with this fearsome predator, hopefully next time you'll do a better job of keeping clear of lions altogether.
Correct
When it comes to avoiding lions — and reacting to them, when necessary — you've got the lion's share of smarts and skills. You respect these impressive animals and do your best to keep clear of their territory. But you can hold your own if you get into a tough situation. Well done and it's fair to say you have the heart of a lion!
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