It may be hard to imagine ending up in a jungle, or any similar wild environment, but why not be prepared if such a situation comes up? Nature can be tough on humans, especially when you find yourself in a place without gadgets, technology, or any other tool that might help you survive the extreme conditions. If you’re in a jungle with no help around you, here’s what you can do to survive the first night until rescuers reach you.
You have to know that water is the top item you have to get when you’re outdoors. When there’s no source of water, a simple plastic shopping bag tied around the bottom of the stem of a plant can help you. In one hour, it can collect about 50 milliliters of water. There are conditions for condensation and moisture from the ground, ripped leaves, grass, or moss. It’s necessary to dig a hole in the center and put something to collect the water, all of which should be covered by the bag and exposed to sunlight. That way you can get about 300 milliliters of water for 24 hours. An ordinary plastic bag can also serve for other purposes, and that’s why it’s the indispensable “accessory” for a jungle. For example, it can be filled with water so it collects the sunlight to act as a lens. In turn, this helps to create fire. Fire is necessary for many reasons: to have light, get warm, boil water, and scare off animals. Both water and fire are first to be found and made in the jungle.
The modern methods of survival suggest that various traps can be used to get food, by means of a knife and a shoelace. With such resources, even a very cautious animal, such as a deer, can be killed. Keep in mind, though, that you shouldn’t eat everything. You never know if it’s safe, and by safe we mean mushrooms that grow in the jungle. If you haven’t had a proper education on which mushrooms aren’t poisonous, then refrain from those picking them.
People who’ve been alone in the woods may have difficulties to make a shelter with branches with their own bare hands. That’s why there are easier ways to make a shelter using vegetation. For a shelter in the jungle, it’s possible to use wood with a thick treetop with branches broken off by wind and can be further covered with peat or branch of coniferous wood. The shelter can be quickly made by bending and tilting the tiny trees and branches. If you find some mud, you can use it to glue branches or other materials you find suitable for building.
Bad weather conditions should also be anticipated. If you happen to experience such a time, stay in the shelter and look for a way out of the jungle once the weather clears up. Signs of worsening weather include strong winds, the absence of dew and insects, and worms that come out of the ground.
If you find yourself in such a situation, you have to be calm as well as have positive thinking and willpower. Panicking cannot help you—be strong. We hope you’ll never find yourself stranded in the jungle, but you now know what to do if it happens.
Howard Scalia is 37-year-old former scout leader from Austin, Texas, and one of the best and most trusted blog writers at www.prosurvivalist.com. When he’s not working on some new interesting article, he enjoys taking long walks in the woods with his dogs.
