How to Survive in a Rainforest
Trekking in a rain forest can be a wonderful experience but there are rare cases when you’ll find yourself in danger. You may accidentally stray off a marked trail, suffer a serious injury or accident or get caught in a sudden storm. Should you find yourself stranded in a rainforest, here a few things you should keep in mind:
Relax and analyze the situation.
The worst thing you can do is panic at the onset. If you are planning to survive in a rainforest, you should relax and think things through. Instead of wasting time and energy by walking aimlessly, stop, observe and think then plan ahead.
If you are still upset, frustrated or angry, sit down and breathe slowly to eliminate all these negative thoughts from your system. If you have companions with you, allow them to relax too before discussing your game plan with them. Your state of mind is vital for survival, especially in a rainforest so make sure you have that strong will to survive.
Build a survival shelter.
You will surely be faced with rough and unpredictable weather so you better be prepared. An ideal shelter should be strong enough to protect you from bad weather and should also be comfortable enough for resting.
Search for natural formations that can serve as your shelter such as large trees, caves, and rocky crevices. If none of these are present, you may need to build your own shelter.
Choose a location that is near a water source and all the other materials you may need for survival. Be wary though of choosing a site sitting too near a water source since you may get diseases from insects. Also, rivers may be dangerous since heavy rainfall in nearby high places can create instant flash floods.
Make a shelter that is big enough for you since you may experience long cold nights. You may have to heat your place by starting a bonfire.
Start a fire.
You need to find some materials that can ignite easily to start a fire. For tinder, you may use paper, leaves, grass, bark, and the like. A water-proof material you can also use is resin found in pine trees and spruce. As long as you have tinder, you can make a fire.
If you have matches, use them accordingly but make sure that it is not too windy to avoid wasting your efforts and available fire-starting materials. You can also use artificial strikers or lighters. If you have no choice but to go primitive, you can use flint and steel or a fire plow although you may need to practice a lot to perfect these methods.
Search for water.
Water is integral in your survival in a rainforest. Do not delay your search for a water source. Look for a nearby river or any body of water right away. Do not drink the water you have found right away though. You may need to treat suspected water by boiling or filtration.
To avoid dehydration and subsequent water loss, stay in the shade most of the time. Keep cool and always seek shelter. You can also get water from foods such as vegetables and fruit.
Look for natural food sources.
There are a lot of edible plants and animals present but you have to make sure that they are indeed safe to eat. Insects for instance are rich in fat and protein. Look for bird eggs present in your surroundings since they can be baked, fried and boiled.
You can also go fishing and hunting although you may need prior training to be successful in both. One effective method is trapping potential food sources. Just make sure to cook them so that they will taste good and to eliminate bacteria and parasites.
Signal for help.
Use any available materials you may have like a cellular phone, whistle or two-way radio. If you don’t have any of these, you may have to signal for rescue.
Look for a visible site such a wide clearing if possible. If you don’t know how to signal thru SOS, you can create signal fires that can emit smoke seen for many miles. You can also use a mirror to signal for help. You can also use a belt buckle, glasses or any shiny object that can reflect the sun’s rays.