10 tips to avoid bear attack

1. Keep food out of reach: This is a big one. Bears love food. And for some reason they seem to love people food. First, you shouldn't store food near your campsite; that alone will cut down your chances of accidentally running into a bear. Wrap all your food together in a strong bag or sack, then try to hang it high in the air; I'd suggest at least ten feet. And don't worry about leaving a rope to one side so you can lower the food late on; a bear doesn't know what a rope is. If you can't hang up your food, then at the least the food needs to be sealed in some kind of tight container. Sorry, but those rubber containers you buy at the grocery store aren't going to cut it. You're best bet would be to purchase several bear-proof storage containers; you can usually find them at most major outdoors stores or camping-supply outlets. You're also safest to keep items with heavy scents, such as soap and toothpaste, away from where you are camping.
2. Keep yourself clean: I'm mostly taking food here, but strong human odors can also draw bears to you. Wipe off those crumbs. Wipe off your face. If you're in the woods for an extended period of time, don't wear the same clothes for several days in a row so that you start stinking. If your fellow campers can smell you, you can bet the bears can smell you.
3. Make some noise: If you're out walking through the woods, don't try to pretend your a ninja or something. If a bear doesn't hear you, then you walk right up on it ... well, you can imagine what could happen. It won't be pretty. But if a bear can hear you coming from a distance away, it will be able to detect you and most likely will try to avoid you. And be reasonable. You don't have to scream or yell or fire off a gun every few feet. Talk in a normal voice, or maybe even sing a little.
4. Pay attention to the rules: All national and state parks in the U.S. will have signs posted warning you of bears, and the signs will offer safety rules. Follow those rules. Several of them you will probably already be reading here, but if they offer different ones, follow them. Forest rangers know what they're talking about.
5. Don't feed the bears: You might have seen this sign in a park forest or zoo. It's there for a reason. Bears eat a lot, every day, and once your run out of food, the bear might become angry. And there you are, the perfect target for a bear's anger. You don't want to becomethe food.
6. Don't run: Yes, that's right. You can't outrun a bear. Even if you've won a gold medal in long-distance track in the Olympics, you're not going to outrun a bear. If you should happen upon a bear, your best chance is to make no sudden movements, to remain calm and move away slowly. Running will only draw the attention of the bear, even a non-aggressive bear.
7. Don't bother climbing a tree: This one isn't likely to work either, if you've come across a bear. Many bears can climb, and he or she will just come up after you.
8. Keep your camp clean: Definitely don't leave food laying around, but also don't leave trash scattered about. To bears, trash is also food. Keep your trash a good distance away from your campsite, preferably stored in a bear-proof container.
9. Watch for the signs: If you see trees that appear to have been clawed by a heavy animal, you're probably in bear country. I suggest you leave. Other signs to look for are sizable droppings, bear prints in the ground and dead animals that appear to have been fed upon.
10. Sorry, but leave Fido at home: Dogs and bears usually don't get along. Your dog is likely to feel protective of you. And the bear? The bear's being annoyed by all that barking. Yes, it's not impossible you're dog could run off the bear, but it's not very likely.

10 facts about bats

1. The oldest discovered fossils of ancient bats are estimated at approximately 52 million years old.
2. Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight, basically meaning they can flap their wings to accomplish actual flight. There are other mammals who are commonly said to fly, such as flying squirrels, but they actually glide upon the air and cannot keep themselves suspended in the air.
3. Despite the old saying about "being as blind as a bat," bats are not generally blind. They do have very poor eyesight, but they can see short distances.
4. Bats have a natural radar system called echolocation. This allows bats to be fully functional in complete darkness. They send out ultrasonic pulses which bounce back from objects and give the bat a mental image of their surroundings.
5. Depending upon the species, bats generally either migrate or hibernate during cold weather.
6. While a few notorious species of bats are known for drinking blood, mainly vampire bats, most bat species subside upon fruits or insects. Some few species will eat small animals such as frogs or even fish.
7. Despite the rumors, vampire bats very rarely bite humans. In fact, vampire bats usually drink blood slowly from larger herd animals such as horses and cows.
8. Did you know bats play an important role in ecology? They do. Bats are very important to rain forests. Some scientists estimate that bats spread 95 percent of the seeds needed to keep rain forests thriving. Bats do this by eating fruit and plants and then leaving droppings which contain seeds.
9. Bats are known to fly for hundreds upon hundreds of miles for hibernation, or even just to search for food.
10. Generally speaking, most bats can live as long as 20 years.