(meteorobs) Meteor Watching and Wild Animals

[Shy Halatzi]

In the Israeli desert we have some leopards, of the sub-species Arabian
Leopard. Their population in Israel is estimated at 15, out of only about
200 left in the middle east. The good side is, that they are generally not
dangerous to humans, since they are the smallest leopard sub-species,
weighing only 20-30 kg, much smallers than the ones in Africa, for example.
We never met a leopard in any of our observations, despite the fact that we
frequently observed from the areas where they live.
I personally encountered many other wild animals, some harmless, such as
deer herds, rabbits, hystrix or honey badger, others which may pose a small
risk such as foxes, wild boars and jackals, snakes and scorpions. The most
dangerous I would say are, the snakes. Fortunately, we never had anyone of
the astronomical community bitten, for at least 12 years (that's when I
started the hobby and as far back as I know).
The closest encounter with a wild animal which I can recall was, when once
somebody left his bag on the ground with some sandwiches in it, and a jackal
(or wolf, we couldn't see well) took the bag, together with his mobile
phone, wallet and credit cards. We searched for it for half an hour and
finally found it, relatively in good condition (had some bite holes). Since
then we tell everyone to keep their sandwiches in the car.

I'm interested to hear of experiences of people who observ from other
countries.

Take care,
Shy
-----------------------------
שי חלצי Shy Halatzi
חבר ועד האגודה הישראלית לאסטרונומיה
Israeli Astronomical Association Board Member
+972-54-4872884
shy.halatzi at gmail.com


On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:57 AM, David Oesper <oesper at mac.com> wrote:

> The heartbreaking death of young Canadian folksinger Taylor Mitchell from
> an extremely rare coyote attack this week makes me wonder what the risks are
> watching meteors, alone, at night, on a lawn chair (prone and two feet off
> the ground), in a remote area.  Are mountain lions, bears, wild dogs,
> coyotes, etc. more likely to attack you in certain areas of the country
> under those circumstances?  Have any of you had (or heard of) incidents, and
> do you take precautions?  Recommendations?
>
> Just curious.
>
> One more thing to worry about, I guess.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> David Oesper
>
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