JUNGLE SURVIVAL

e [Music] circling the Earth at the equator is a 3,000 M wide Zone called the tropics it extends north to the Tropic of Cancer and South to the Tropic of Capricorn it covers 10% of the Earth's surface and because of its dense and frequently impenetrable vegetation is popularly known as jungle country many many people with no firsthand knowledge of the Jungle derive their ideas about it from adventure stories which are often completely inaccurate jungles are not all forbidding places completely covered by a mass of Tangled trees and Vines actually they are areas in which millions of people live safe and happy lives jungles vary tremendously in both terrain and vegetation tropical rainforest is a characteristic type of jungle in the lowland areas it is a forest of trees from 150 to 180 ft high and an undergrowth of shrubs Vines and saplings owing to the variation in height of the trees a rainforest has two or more layers little light can penetrate and the interior is damp and gloomy there are some relatively open areas not impeded by Tangled growth in the mountainous areas the height of the trees decreases and the undergrowth is heavier this Zone usually coincides with the Cloud belt hence its name a cloud forest in populated areas from Africa to Malaya to Tropical America great patches of forest are fell the trees burn and crops planted the fields are abandoned after one or two crops and in a few years A wilderness of secondary growth Springs up so dense as to be almost impenetrable in some places due to soil deficiencies no Forest develops these open grass and scrub areas are called savanas those in the lowlands are often water loged much more challenging to man is the mangrove swamp an impenetrable mass of interwoven trunks branches and arching Roots growing in mud and water mangroves are confined primarily to Tropical coasts but along estuaries they often penetrate far inland whatever the character of the Jungle rainforest cloud forest secondary growth or mangr swamp two things are sure it will be hot most of the time although nights can be cold and it will always be humid heavy and frequent rainfall creates many waterways from Tiny streams to rushing Rivers the long wet season averages 150 in of rain and is followed by a brief dry season the days and night are almost equal in length separated at night and morning by 20 to 30 minutes of Twilight cloudless days are rare as much of the tropics as in a permanent Cloud belt the outstanding characteristic of most jungles is the richness and variety of life forms here are gigantic trees bamboos and climbing plants of all sizes and shapes and clinging to the trees are orchids lyans mosses and all manner of flowering plants equally varied is the animal life ants that sting like red hot needles many ities of spiders more numerous than they are poisonous insects by the billions from ground level to the tops of the tallest trees larger animals and birds are also numerous another dweller in the luxurian jungle is man from America to Africa to Asia millions of people live their entire lives in the jungles some live by primitive agriculture others by fishing hunting and foraging wherever you find them most jungle dwellers are friendly and peaceful briefly this is the nature of jungle country knowledge of it is vastly important to fighter pilots streaking across such terrain every day of the year to bombers Crews flying special missions over the Earth's jungles and to the crews and passengers of cargo aircraft if they are down in the jungle all must have firsthand knowledge of how to survive until help reaches them the chances are that they will always view the jungle from above rather than from within but there can be emergencies so let us see what you yourself can do if the emergency does happen and you find yourself on your own in the jungle to demonstrate the basic principles of jungle survival we're going to follow four Airmen who are forced to bail out over jungle country the first two men were fortunate they land a few miles from each other on opposite edges of a savannah the third man landed in a rainforest some distance away still further away the fourth man landed in a cloud forest on their way down the first two men tried to slipped their shoots toward the open area of the Savannah neither succeeded parachuting into jungle growth usually means scratches bruises or other minor injuries the first man art sustains a painful chest injury on the way down he saw Bert the second man drifting toward the opposite side of the Savannah his first thought is to make contact before night BS but he knows his emergency radio is not too efficient when used between ground stations so his best bet is to fire his rifle three shots is the traditional signal of distress his signal is not heard by Bert whose first inclination also was to try to make radio contact Bert has landed about a mile beyond the opposite edge of the Savannah nearly 3 miles from art he soon gives up the radio idea decides to put up a hammock before night sets in [Music] then he too tries rifle signaling but it's no go art can't hear him meanwhile art is taking care of his injuries as best he can he has wet the parachute nylon so it will mold to his body better not exactly professional but it'll relieve a lot of the pain the third man Carl is unfortunate on two counts being only a passenger in the crashed aircraft he did not have his survival kit strapped to him and he has landed high up in the second layer of a deep rainforest with the brief Twilight quickly changing into darkness he must lose no time in beinging himself and attempting to climb down some 50 to 60 ft as a safety measure he fastens himself to a Vine now he must get that parachute loose it's the only Survival equipment he has let's leave him momentarily while we see how Dave the fourth man is fairing he has drifted some distance from the point of bailout and landed in a cloud forest like all except Carl he has an inflatable raft and a complete survival kit he too has the problem of getting a camp set up before nightfall he must get that shoot down as soon as possible and make a shelter for himself off the ground the first man art is using his inflated raft as a bed with no energy left to build a fire he lies down all but exhausted to wait for daylight but he does remember his training he covers himself against the bites of insects Bert doesn't know it yet but he is the luckiest of the lot he has landed only a mile or so in from the edge of the grassy Savannah he has made himself as comfortable as possible for the night now he must take care of his scratches to prevent infection in the morning he will try again to make contact with art meanwhile Carl has retrieved his parachute and he is safe on the ground but Knight is closing in and with the little equipment he has his situation is not too good he'd better search his pockets and take stock of what he has besides the parachute well at least there's something a knife matches and cigarettes could be worse he'd feel better if he had a fire but there's no available dry [Music] wood and now it starts to rain and in the jungle it may continue all [Music] night Carl must find a place to sleep off the ground if he can this natural platform in The butus Roots is his best bet with a few palm fronds he can keep off the worst of the rain Dave in the cloud forest is more fortunate than Carl he has his survival kit and has been able to get a fire going under a shelter improvised from his raft having satisfied his hunger from his rations he protects his cuts from infection he uses clear rainwater to wash the wounds in the morning things look a lot better to Carl he kept fairly dry and had some sleep what's that oh yes the parachute survival booklet they told him about he forgot all about that last night better look it over the most fortunate man Bert has had a good night's rest but the effort of breaking Camp has made him thirsty there's no water around but that doesn't bother him he knows that in some Vines water is stored let I not drink from that one the sap is milky and that can be dangerous no problem plenty of vines that looks like a good one sure clear as glass Bert used his head even while he was parachuting down yesterday he spotted a Savannah and remembering its direction took a compass reading on it as soon as he landed now all he has to do is to follow that heading art in his chest injury has managed to get through the long night pretty well his mind is on reaching the Savannah luckily only a few hundred yards away he is anxious to make contact with bird as soon as possible an injured man is far better off with a companion [Laughter] it's with considerable relief that he finds himself out in the open after the dark jungle but there is no sign of bird however with no vegetation to absorb the signals the emergency radio can be used effectively he decides to try to establish contact with Bert but having landed a mile from the Savannah bird is still beating his way through the Deep undergrowth breaking into an open spot he feels as if his troubles are almost over but soon finds out that they're just beginning his Compass Course is going to take him right through a mangrove swamp unfortunately he doesn't recognize it as such and before he does he finds himself in a really tough spot this could be very serious men have died in such [Applause] places but he doesn't panic he uses his head a little late certainly and that vine does the rest you'll have a healthy respect for places like that in the future well back to firm ground and the long way around meanwhile Carl has been making his way since daylight toward what he hopes will be the river he had spotted to the West as he parachuted to the Earth the day before [Music] Dave still in the cloud forest decides to seek High Ground until the cloud burst is over that was a bad one well he isn't hurt but the radio hit pretty hard [Applause] yes just as he feared it's damag well no point in carrying 5 lbs of [Applause] nothing but let it give a last bit of service it can mark his Trail that fall taught him something no sense in risking injury by going on under these conditions much smarter to stop and conserve his strength until the rain stops first consider ation is to build a shelter this will give him a chance to dry out a little then a fire will help him both physically and mentally oh yes a fire can be built under such conditions if enough dry kindling can be found it's important to start with the easiest burning fuel available in this case the wrapping from the survival weapon Carl is still making his way toward that River until he can get clear of that 150t canopy of trees there there's little likelihood of his being spotted either by search aircraft or by natives he must go on but as he goes he's smart enough to eat whatever is at hand this is Palm cabbage pulled from the growing tip of a palm it's good raw or cooked without equipment Carl has had the roughest deal of the four but due to his survival training and to his own resourcefulness he's little the worse for wear a bad scrape like that will heal a lot quicker if it's taken care of right away nothing is worse for an open wound than the constant friction of a garment a bandage of any clean material even parachute cloth will help a lot art is tried to make himself as comfortable as his chest injury will permit and as instructed in his survival briefing he uses his radio only at specified times he's had no luck in getting through to anyone so far but knowing that Bert landed near him he feels sure it won't be long before they make radio contact his optimism is Justified for Bert has made his way out of the heavy growth to the open area at the opposite end of the Savannah so it's not long before he picks up art signal to avoid any possibility of their missing each other Bert tells art to stay where he is it won't be long now Bird's approach is a welcome sight indeed naturally not all injuries sustained during bailout can be treated by a fellow crewman but the survival manual indicates what can be done to ease a man's discomfort until medic legal help arrives art has done the primary things to help himself he has kept warm and dry since they feel sure there are no broken bones BT can ease the pain by proper bandaging on open ground where signaling to search aircraft is relatively easy these two men have little to worry about it is the afternoon of the second day and here is Carl the discovering that most jungles have edible fruits and plants especially in abandoned per wait a minute what's that sounds like running water better make for it Carl remembers to bladee his Trail so he can retrace his steps if necessary the sun is getting low it's time to make camp this seems a good spot that stream looks promising [Music] [Applause] [Music] crawfish there should be many more where that came from he decides to make Camp On The Higher Ground yes he's right he does hear an aircraft search aircraft are unable to spot Carl because he's hidden by the rainforest heavy canopy nevertheless it's reassuring to know that the search is on once Carl manages to reach the large river he saw his chances of being spotted are good and the stream he is on now should lead him to that River Art and Bert meanwhile have a established contact with the search aircraft and are now waiting for a chopper to pick them up while they wait bird has Reed a signal fire and is laying out a signal pattern he remembers that such a pattern must not only indicate the state of emergency but also how safe the terrain is for landing long before the first where of the Choppers blades art is ready for voice contact the signal Fire won't be needed and with an aom medic aboard the chopper AR will have good care well that's the end of Art and B's jungle adventure with neither of them much the worse for it now let's see how our friend Dave in the cloud forest is doing as his second day is about to end he seems to be fine incidentally that Stout stick is a good idea not only as an aid in walking but to kill snakes or animals for food his frequent Compass readings should have kept him headed for that Lake he saw earlier with luck from a high point like this he should see it again yeah yes there it is he's done a good job of navigating no sense in trying to get there before the sudden Nightfall but he should have no trouble reaching it tomorrow and when he does it should spell rescue for him within a short time so Dave can relax a little this seems like a good place to make camp and best of all he can take his time about it Knight will not be upon him for quite a while yet [Music] however careful a man is ticks tigers and other unwelcome guests are bound to get onto his body the only thing to be done is to watch carefully for them and remove them as soon as possible [Laughter] don't neglect to disinfect all insect bites apparently the rescue aircraft is completing its search pattern over the area before night closes in again a bad disappointment still they couldn't come in for him on this kind of terrain anyhow about this time Carl has finished making Camp beside the stream keeping the body clean and the clothing dry as nearly as possible is extremely important in the jungle quite apart from the hygienic aspect a good wash in Clear Water and a clean pair of socks do wonders for a man's well-being both physically and mentally he's made a decent can carefully placed above the high water mark in case of a flash flood and he has kept clean and well rested this man Carl with nothing except his native good sense and meager equipment has done a really outstanding job of surviving so far such a man deserves to survive let's leave him to enjoy his fish dinner the next morning Dave broke camp and continued on down toward the small Lake he had seen the day before it's small but large enough to be easily spotted by search aircraft and to allow a chopper to pick him up best of all it's a source of unlimited drinking water high temperature and heavy exertion dry a man out fast drink as much as you need when it's available but even clear clean looking water like this can be polluted it's always good insurance to purify any drinking water either by chemicals or by boiling that taken care of Dave surveys the situation he realizes that his yellow raft will be easily seen by a rescue plane with plenty of time available he's built an excellent shelter he's all set for the night except for the mosquitoes so do not take a chance with them in the jungle there are plenty of mosquitoes many of them malaria carriers keep cupboard whenever you can in spite of Dave's expression snake meat is excellent eating quite a lot like chicken or fro L also it's easy to skin not much more trouble than peeling a banana Carl tired by his efforts has also decided to stop early this way he has ample time to get under shelter and to gather enough dry wood to keep a fire going throughout the long night using an improvised pot of bamboo he can purify his drinking water by boiling remembering his first day's hunger he has saved a portion of his fish for this night's meal and collected enough fruit along his way to sustain him for several days the morning of the fourth day brings a break for Dave the sky is relatively clear at least for this almost perpetually overcast area search aircraft will soon be overhead so long as the lake is calm the best place for Dave to be seen is in the middle of it the moment he hears the motor's drone he throws out his die marker there they are surely they can't miss seeing in they've spotted him sumon by radio the chopper will be here soon all Dave has to do is stay fo for a little while so with three men accounted for rescue aircraft will concentrate on the search for the Fourth Man [Applause] things are not going too well for Carl determined to reach the river where he will stand a good chance of being picked up he has struck what appears to be an impass this is a crucial moment if he panics instead of backtracking and trying another approach he's in real trouble this time the sound of the search aircraft only seems to add to his desperation good luck Carl you've licked the worst threat to a man alone panic and you know they're looking for you well it didn't take long for the chopper to get to Dave his troubles are over that's good he remembers his briefing and gets himself into the sling without trouble [Music] for Carl the going has been rough but at least he's reached that River another human being and with Transportation any Survivor who comes upon n lives in most jungle areas can consider himself fortunate indeed 90% of them will prove to be friendly natives have a Natural Curiosity about a stranger especially the [Music] children yes Carl has made it too after some rest and food he will be taken down river to the nearest settlement or rescue aircraft will come for him here the priest will notify the local authorities by radio that Carl is safe so four men down and four po men survive Not Unusual when men use their training and their heads to review briefly if you should ever have to bail out over jungle country there are five things to remember five things that will help you to survive first remember that no matter where you go down the Air Force will have rescue aircraft looking for you promptly assume that you will be rescued and lay your plans accordingly second quickly make a plan of action the third Point follow your plan the fourth point do everything you can to help in your own rescue finally and the most important of all Don't Panic keeping your head will make all the difference between surviving and not [Music] surviving if you do keep your head and if you do follow the survival procedures taught by the Air Force you will survive and you will be found