I felt like I should write something like this when I found a lot of missing information that people shared in social media. Here’s my list of false facts about survival that you need to keep in mind.
Sucking Snake Bite Is Beneficial, It Prevents Poisoning.
Because of Hollywood film scenes, people think that the place that snake bites should be sucked and the poison should be spat out. Maybe it’s even the most common opinion on the list of false facts.
After a snake bite, sucking on the bitten place will not give any benefit to the injured, and bacteria that may pass through the mouth may cause the bite point to become infected. Additionally, the sucker can swallow the poison. This is one of the false facts about survival. Do not do this!
The best thing to do after a snake bite is to calm the injured person, lower the injured area below the heart level, if possible, and contact the health facility quickly.
Eating Raw Meat Is No Problem.
Bacteria and other pathogens that can be harmful to humans can be found in raw fish and animal meat. By cooking the meat, these harmful factors can be removed; in addition, it becomes more delicious.
If Animals Eat, It is Eatable
Although it may seem logical to eat food that other animals consume, it can be harmful. Humans consume many foods which animals can also consume. But the opposite does not always have to be true. For example, birds may consume fruits that may be poisonous to you, and mushrooms that some animals consume can be toxic to humans. If you doubt that a plant or mushroom is edible, do not eat.
If Animals Drink, It is a Drinkable Water Source
Whether it is streams or still water, the water resources in animals living area may contain bacteria or other microorganisms. If you need to use this water, collect it, strain it, boil it, purify it and then drink it.
if you are in doubt you can always bring a LifeStraw with you to purify the water. You can check out our “LifeStraw Review” article to learn more about it.
Half Roof Shelter Is Enough.
Half-roof shelters are the easiest type of shelters to build, but they can only protect you from sunlight and rain. Although it may be enough according to the geography and climate you are in, if you do not have clear information about fauna, uninvited guests may visit you at night.
You Can Treat Hypothermia by Submerging into Hot Water.
The normal body temperature of an adult is approximately 37 ° C, and hypothermia occurs when this temperature drops below 35 ° C.
Shock may develop if an individual has hypothermia or a body part suffering from a cold burn is immersed in hot water.
Anyone showing symptoms of hypothermia should be warmed up slowly. The casualty can be wrapped in a blanket and warmed using a bottle of warm water.
GPS Devices Don’t Make Mistakes.
All technological products produced and used by human beings can make mistakes. There is also no exception for GPS devices. I admit much more practical devices than compass and map usage, but keep in mind that they may rarely make mistakes.
Also, always carry a map and compass and learn how to use both in case of running out of battery, disconnection, or device malfunction.
In addition, the moss-bearing faces of the trees may not always point north in orientation.
Fire is More Important Than Insulation.
What you need in a survival scenario is to be able to maintain your body temperature, and you cannot achieve this without insulation. The insulation between you and the ground may maintain your body temperature while you sleep with your daytime clothes. In a shelter not insulated, you will be exposed to water and wind in addition to exposure to cold.
First make sure the insulation, and then you light the fire.
You Can Suppress Your Thirst by Sucking a Button or Stone 🙂
There are people who argue that you can suppress your thirst when you put a button that you can tear off from your clothes or stone in your mouth in cases of long dehydration. It is just another one from false facts about survival list!
Let me briefly explain the mechanism; The idea is that under conditions where water is not available, the foreign object (button or stone) sucked in the mouth causes saliva to be secreted.
This method does not provide any extra source of water, also carries the risk of swallowing the button or stone. If I were you, I wouldn’t do such a thing which is just a psychological relief.
Play Dead, If You Encounter a Bear
According to what is told in many YouTube videos, it is recommended to lie down directly on the ground and make a dead number when you encounter the bear. I admit it is a life-saving move in some cases, but it’s not the first action to take. First you need to determine if the bear is actively attacking you or acting defensively.
If they’re acting defensively, there will be moments when the bear stops following you or even retreats a little. In this case, try to make yourself look bigger than you are, make noises, move away slowly and avoid eye contact.
No Need to Carry Survival Equipment on Short Trips
You will see people saying that you do not need to carry survival equipment with you on daily trips or walks, it is unnecessary to carry too much weight. I have bad news for you; bad things come suddenly. It doesn’t matter where you go, how short the trip is, or how safe the area is.
Keep a kit that includes a flashlight, whistle and pocket knife in your car and in your day bag.
More Expensive Equipment Has Higher Quality.
Expensive products are often sold at higher prices due to their brand. Most new campers make the mistake of paying more to buy a higher quality product. Read price checks and user reviews on forums and dictionaries and even on shopping sites without buying any equipment.
After the Call for Help, Search Team Rescues You Quickly.
Having a satellite phone, radio, emergency flare or other equipment that can attract people’s attention does not mean that you will be rescued in an instant
Search and rescue teams will try to reach you by land and / or air depending on the conditions after receiving your call for help. Teams who want to reach you may be late due to rough terrain condition for land vehicles or the difficulty in finding a place to land for air vehicles.
All of these take time, so know that you can’t always be saved in a minute.
If You’re Hungry, You Can Hunt a Big Animal.
Because of the survival programs, people started thinking about hunting deer. You are hungry and hunting a large animal to solve the feeling of hunger. It sounds great. But take a moment to think about it. You need more energy to hunt large animals, process, transport and preserve.
Boiling Water Is Enough.
There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to get a drinking water. These are sediment, biological threats, and chemical threats. Boiling water helps neutralize biological threats, and even it isn’t always a hundred percent effective. Apart from that, boiling has almost no effect on eliminating deposits or most chemical threats. False facts about survival may seems reasonable but indeed it is not.
For example, water includes lots of deposits such as soil can be biologically safe. Consuming excessive sediment can cause vomiting. Collect, filter, boil and purify to get a drinkable water.
Thank you for making our False Facts About Survival article worth to read. If there are any known false facts that come to your mind, please share them with us.
You may interested in bushcraft as well, click on this to read about it.
Reference: Business Insider