There is one thing that everyone should know when planning to go out into the wilderness: what kinds of animals live in the area that you plan to be in. There is a large variety of animals in the wilderness. Around Mt. Rainier, might find marmots, bears, cougars, squirrels, chipmunks, and many other kinds of rodents and birds.

Bears and cougars are a main cause for concern when traveling in the great outdoors near Mt. Rainier. I know that these animals may seem very calm and tame when they are in a zoo, but you are not in a zoo when you go out into the wilderness. These are not the cute little cartoon critters that you see on TV. They are wild, untamed animals and if you get into a dangerous situation, it is potentially harmful to you or your partners.

Bears

On Mt. Rainier, there are only black bears. Bears will eat almost anything, including nuts, berries, fish bark, insects, and many other small animals. The best way to prevent a bear attack is to try not to surprise a bear and always stay away from bear cubs. Cubs are never far from their mother and mother bear will certainly try to defend her cubs to the full extent of her abilities. But black bears have never been prone to attacking humans. And remember to always use bear poles or tie up your food to keep it away from the animals.

Cougars

Cougars are not a major threat unless you provoke them. They do not usually attack humans, but if they feel provoked, they may attack. It is most likely when you are walking through a forest where there are cougars, a cougar might be watching you and you won't even know that you are. Cougars are very curious animals, especially around humans. But always remember to never run alone in the woods. When a cougar sees something running, it makes their natural predatorily instincts kick in and they may chase after you. If you happen to see a cougar, try to avoid it and do not provoke it.

Rodents are a major problem in the wilderness. They like to get into food and they scavenge all over to find food. Some kinds of rodents that you can find in the wilderness are chipmunks, squirrels, marmots, rabbits, and mice. They are extremely curious creatures and like to get into things. They can get into your pack and get into your food, so always remember to keep all of your food on poles and off of the ground and away from the animals.

The peskiest animals when you are out in the wilderness are camp robbers, rodents, and any other kind of curious animal. They like to go into campsites and steal food and other things. You should always remember to put your food away and up off of the ground to protect it.

There are soooooo many different kinds of birds on Mt. Rainier. There are Gray Jays, Stellar Jays, and Woodpeckers, just to name a few. Some birds such as Gray and Stellar Jays are known as camp robbers. Camp robbers will get close enough
to steal your food from you. They are very curious like most animals, and are not afraid of humans. Camp Robbers have been known to come within 6" from people to steal your food. Most birds eat bark, berries, and insects, but some birds have gotten used to being fed by humans and think that anyone will feed them.

Bears

If you should happen to encounter a bear, there are some definite do's and don'ts to follow. You should never try to run away. Bears might not seem like it, but they can easily out-run a human and are much, much stronger and can easily over power you. You should also never try to climb a tree because bears were made to climb trees and are excellent climbers. If you should happen to meet up with a bear, you should play dead or act very meek if it is a grizzly bear. If it is a black bear, you should kick, yell, throw rocks, or hit it with branches. The bear will usually back down. Then try to walk away slowly.

Cougars

If by some chance you run into a cougar, you should make a lot of noise, puff yourself up, try to look bigger than you are. If you are wearing a back pack, turn sideways to appear larger to the cougar. If you are in a group, you may want to group together to try and make yourselves look bigger than you really are. Back away slowly or try to stand your ground as firmly as possible. Never, ever run. Like I said before, when you run it makes their predatory instincts kick in and causes them to chase after you.