Before embarking on my journey halfway across the world to Australia, I was repeatedly warned of the dangerous creatures that lurk down under. 

Seriously, I lost count of the number of times I heard “aren’t you scared about the poisonous snakes and spiders” or “I just saw this video of a kangaroo beating someone up.”

Now I know most of these warnings were well intentioned, but they had me checking my bed for spiders every night, worried that there might be a snake in my toilet and running away from kangaroos that came anywhere near me. I quickly realized how foolish this was.

During the two months I have been in Australia, I have not seen a single spider in my apartment and have only seen one snake in the wild — knock on wood. Plus, the kangaroos in my area are not very large and rarely attack people. 

When I first arrived in the country and expressed concerns about Australia’s fauna to native Australians, many found it hilarious. I remember specifically talking to an Australian girl on my flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. I was explaining how worried I was about all the dangerous creatures, to which she replied, “Yeah, but you guys literally have bears.” 

She then went on to explain that there are not any large predators in Australia that compare to the grizzly bears, cougars and wolves that reside in North America. The closest thing in Australia would probably be dingos, which very rarely attack people — just keep babies away from them. 

Although I still have my reservations about Australia’s wildlife, her perspective made me realize that North America has some deadly creatures, too. Be honest, if you were walking down a path in the forest, would you rather see a snake or a bear? Personally, I know which one I can outrun. 

My fears were also lessened upon visiting the Australia Zoo in my first week here. During the Wildlife Warrior’s Show, they play an educational video featuring none other than Steve Irwin and his wife Terri, where they explain what to do if you are bitten by a snake. 

It is crucial that you remain calm and still while someone wraps a compression bandage around the area of the bite. This keeps the venom from entering your lymphatic system, giving you time to go to the hospital. 

You better believe the first thing I did when I left the zoo was buy a compression bandage. The Eastern Brown snake, rated one of the most venomous snakes in the world, is located in my area. Though most bites from these snakes are caused by humans trying to catch them, I would rather be safe than dead. 

Despite all of the dangers, Australia is a really beautiful place. If you can get past what lurks in the bush, the 19 hours it takes to get here is more than worth it. 

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