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FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY HEALTH CARE » WILDERNESS FIRST AID About This Article

How to Survive a Lion Attack Co-authors:

48
Updated:
May 26, 2023
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Last Updated: May 26, 2023 Fact Checked

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Safaris through wildlife reserves are a thrill ride.
1 Standing Your Ground 303 votes - 82%
Now, the popularity of walking safaris is growing, and
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these are more thrilling than ever before. Along with 3 Avoiding an Attack
the thrill comes a heightened amount of danger. OTHER SECTIONS
While most lions flee from people, even while you're Tips and Warnings Anonymous
on foot, an attack is always a possibility. Knowing Related Articles Jan 29, 2017

References
how to react ahead of time could save your life.[1] "I got off of my tour bus yesterday, and the
Article Summary stop was Africa. I saw a lion. I was terrified,
but luckily I..." more

More success stories Share yours!

Method
1 Standing Your Ground Download Article
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1 Do not panic. If you're being charged by a lion, you'll be extremely frightened. Do

everything you can not to panic. Staying calm and thinking straight can help save
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your life. Knowing what to expect can help you stay calm. For example, know that the lion
is going to growl while they charge. This can shake the ground beneath you but know this
is normal for a lion attack.[2]
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2 Do not run. Stand your ground. You need to take charge of the situation and show
the lion that you're a threat. Turn so that you're side-on-side with the lion while
clapping your hands, shouting, and waving your arms. This will make you appear bigger
What to Say When How to
and more threatening to the lion.[3] Someone Has a Play Ping Pong
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Lion behaviors differ from region to region. The biggest tourist attractions have lions
that are more habituated to vehicles and therefore less afraid of humans. However,
many lions with early encounters of humans will perform mock charges. Making
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yourself appear threatening will make them turn away.

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3 Retreat slowly. Do not turn your back. Keep flailing your arms and showing, but Save an What Does WSP
Overwatered Plant Mean?
slowly step away sideways. If you run, the lion may sense your fear and chase after
you. Remain threatening to the lion while you retreat.[4]
Avoid retreating to a thicket (such as a forest). Instead, retreat to an open area.

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4 Be prepared again. The lion may charge you again while you're trying to retreat. If
this happens, shout as loudly as possible and raise your hands again. Truly yell from
the depths of your stomach. This time, when it turns away, stop the aggression. Turn
sideways and walk away. This can help avoid a fight.[5] How to How to
Speak Spanish Become
(Basics) Valedictorian

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Persuasion

1 Remain standing. If these precautions don't work for any reason, the lion may
charge. If this happens, remain standing. The lion will likely go for your face and
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Your Folks to Say
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throat. This means that it will jump and you'll have a full view of the giant cat. While this
sounds terrifying, it will help to have a good view of the animal. If you were to crouch down,
you would have much less of a chance to fight back if it attacked you at this angle.[6]

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2 Aim for the face. When the cat jumps at you, fight back. Punch or kick the lion as it
leaps at you. Aim for the head and eyes as you continue to fight the predator off. The
cat is likely to be much stronger than you but using hitting it in the head and eyes will have
a great impact and could turn the lion off of you.

3 Seek immediate help. Lion attacks have been fought off by humans before. The
humans that were attacked and fought off the cats were able to seek immediate
medical help. Especially if the lion was able to get its jaw on you and bite you, you need to
stop the bleeding. Tend immediately to any deep gashes from its teeth or claws.

4 Seek psychological help. Even if the attack was a mock attack, it may be a good
idea to seek professional psychological help about it. Getting past such a traumatic
experience is no easy feat. It's a very rare situation to have been positioned in. Seeking
help with aid you in moving on soon.

Method
3 Avoiding an Attack Download Article

1 Stay away from mating lions. Mating lions and lionesses are extremely aggressive.
They are easily triggered during this time. There is no specific time of year that lions
reproduce. However, it is very easy to know when lions are mating because when the
lioness is in the heat, the couples mate up to 40 times a day. This lasts for several days.

2 Stay away from cubs. No matter how tempting it may be or how cute lion cubs are,
you should never interact with a lion cub. Lionesses are ferociously protective of their
young and should therefore be given extra space. Do not attempt to interact with it in any
way, shape or form. In the event you encounter cubs, try to find a route to take you as far
from them as possible to avoid an attack.

3 Keep a night watch. Lions are predominantly nocturnal. This is when they do a
substantial amount of their hunting. If they're in predator mode, they are much more
prone to attack. If you're in an area of high lion density overnight, maintain a night watch so
that you aren't caught off-guard.[7]

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Warnings

Do not play dead! If you do, you will actually end up dead.

Do not kill, hunt or shoot a lion. Lions are a threatened species.

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References

1. ↑ https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-lions/
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JpcBF_zBY
3. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-to-your-body-during-the-fight-or-flight-
response/
4. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-to-your-body-during-the-fight-or-flight-
response/
5. ↑ https://www.allthingsnature.org/what-should-i-do-if-i-am-attacked-by-a-lion.htm
6. ↑ https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-lions/
7. ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022285

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written
by multiple authors. To create this article, 48 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and
improve it over time. This article has been viewed 553,745 times.

Co-authors: 48
303 votes - 82% Updated: May 26, 2023
Views: 553,745

Categories: Bites and Stings | Wilderness First Aid

In other languages:

Español: sobrevivir al ataque de un león Bahasa Indonesia: Bertahan dari Serangan

Italiano: Sopravvivere all'Attacco di un Leone Singa
Русский: выжить при нападении льва Nederlands: Een aanval van een leeuw
Português: Sobreviver a um Ataque de Leão overleven
Deutsch: Einen Löwenangriff überleben ‫اﻟﻧﺟﺎة ﻣن ھﺟوم اﻷﺳد‬:‫اﻟﻌرﺑﯾﺔ‬
Français: survivre à une attaque de lion

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