Drop Bears - Look up, Stay alive

Hi all,

The other day I saw a dear friend of mine who was telling me about their recent camping trip. In the bush. I found myself concerned at their safety; had they not been warned about drop bears, did they know the signs of an incoming DB attack? Thankfully they did. But not all people do.

Here's some info for those of you who don't know.

Common name: Drop Bear
Scientific name: Thylarctos plummetus

Identification:
The Drop Bear is a heavily built animal with powerful forearms used for climbing and holding on
to prey. It lacks canines, using its powerful premolars as biting tools instead.

Size range:
Drop Bears can weigh up to 120kg and be up to 130cm long.

Distribution:
Drop Bears can be found in the densely forested regions of the Great Dividing Range in South-eastern Australia. However there are also some reports of them from South-east South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island.

Habitat:
Drop Bears prefer living deep in the bush. In recent years, though, there have been more and more sightings of them near human habitation.

Feeding and Diet:
Medium to large species of mammal make a substantial proportion of the animal's diet. Often prey are much larger than the Drop Bear itself.

Drop Bears hunt by ambushing ground dwelling animals from above, waiting up to as four hours to make a kill. Once prey is within view, the Drop Bear will drop from as high as eight metres to pounce on top of its prey. The initial impact often stuns the prey, allowing the Drop Bear to make a kill without too much fuss.

If the prey is small enough Drop Bears will drag it back up the tree to feed without having to worry about other predators.

Danger to humans:
Bush walkers have been known to be 'dropped on' by drop bears, resulting in serious injury. However, there are no reports of any incidents being fatal.

Prevention of Drop Bear Attacks:
Preventing attacks from Drop Bears can be easy if you know what to do.

• Avoid walking under trees. If you find yourself having to walk under trees, for any reason, avoid becoming a victim by lying down under trees and spitting upward. Drop Bears will usually spit back at you. If you successfully detect a Drop Bear - Move. Quickly.
  
• Do not camp under trees. Especially ones with overhanging branches.
  
• Rub Vegemite behind your ears. Drop Bears cannot stand the smell of Vegemite. Do not rub toothpaste behind your ears: it will not deter the bears.
  
• If you really don’t want to be attacked by a Drop Bear then try not to walk under trees that growl at you.
  
• Stick forks in your hat. While this may not actually prevent the Drop Bear from attacking you, it will certainly stop it from attacking you again.
  
• If you suspect an attack by a Drop Bear, walk on your hands. This totally confuses drop bears, causing them to wonder if they are actually below you looking up through the ground.
  
• Do NOT take certain brands of beer or articles of food into the bush. Drop Bears have a supernatural smell gland which enables them to locate their favorite brands of beer and food.
  
• For some weird reason, drop bears never eat Aussies. Pretending to be Australian doesn't help.
  
• If you want to prevent a drop bear from raiding you campsite spread a 6 pack of lite beer around your campsite. The scent of the lite beer repels the drop bear away from your campsite.
  
• Wear counterfeit items (fake watches, bags, etc.). For some reason they scare Drop Bears off.

And, as always, look up , stay alive.

Nira out