The Mezzanine

Yeah... what zeborah said.

I expect people to come to Australia knowing that we're a country full of nasty snakes and spiders. I don't expect them to automatically pick up their gumboots and bang them against something before putting them on, or to understand that you always walk through grass stomping loudly so the snakes will hear you. I'd also find it quite reasonable for a tourist to assume that a beach filled with lifeguards and Aussie kids was probably not going to have sharks.

I know that there are lots of bears in Northern US states. I would assume, however, without checking, that bears wouldn't be found in the cities - so would not bother bringing bear repellant with me to Chicago. Would I be correct to assume this? No idea.

I also am aware that you shouldn't leave food out at campsites if you don't want to attract bears - which puts me far and away above most Aussies, who wouldn't have realised this is an issue. I have no idea, however, about most other things that might automatically be done to deter bears from campsites - and, if I googled, I'd assume that most of the advice would be fictional; on a par with sophisticated "drop bear avoidance" techniques, such as putting a dab of vegemite behind the ears. This is because US television has informed me that everyone has their own personal bear rituals that sound dumb, and are usually about fooling the person they're talking to.

If I went to Florida, I'd know that they have alligators, and I'd think "okay, so I won't swim anywhere but swimming pools, and I won't go into any wild scrub areas". And then I'd consider myself to have given the matter due thought.

Expecting more research would be like expecting someone coming to Australia to research heatstroke, snake bites, bushfires, floods, how to find water in bushland, shark attacks, jellyfish stings, and poisonous spiders - all in detail. How would a tourist know in advance which are the actual bad dangers, and which won't be an issue?