Foods derived from animals have more food value per pound than those derived from plants. You can increase your chances of survival by learning the edible or otherwise useful parts of animals. Also, learn how to prepare the edible parts for cooking.

Most birds should be plucked and cooked with the skin on to retain their food value. After a bird is plucked, cut off the neck close to the body and clean out the inside through the cavity. Wash it out with fresh, clean water. Save the neck, liver, and heart for stew. Most birds are easier to pluck after being scalded. Waterfowl are an exception; they are easier to pluck dry. Scavenger birds, like buzzards and vultures, should be boiled at least 20 minutes before you cook them. This kills the parasites. Save all the feathers plucked from birds. You may want to use them for insulating your shoes or clothing or for bedding. Bird eggs are among the safest of foods. You can hard-boil eggs and carry them for days as reserve food.

Clean and dress the carcass of a fur-bearing animal as soon as possible after killing it because to delay will make your job harder. Cut the throat of the animal and allow the blood to drain into a container. The boiled blood is a valuable source of food and salt. Save the kidneys, liver, and heart. Use the fat surrounding the intestines. All parts of the animal are edible, including the meaty parts of the skull, such as the brain, eyes, tongue, and fleshy portions. Save the skin. It is light when dried and is good insulation as a bed cover or article of clothing.

The meat of rats and mice is palatable, particularly if cooked in a stew. Rats and mice should be skinned and gutted, then boiled about 10 minutes before cooking. Either may be cooked with dandelion leaves. Always include the livers. Snakes (excluding sea snakes) and lizards are also edible. Remove the head and skin before boiling or frying snakes.

Dogs, cats, hedgehogs, porcupines, and badgers should be skinned and gutted before cooking. Prepare them as stew with a quantity of edible leaves. Dog and cat livers are especially valuable.

Crabs, crayfish, shrimps, prawns, and other crustaceans require cooking in order to kill disease-producing organisms. They spoil rapidly, however, and should be boiled alive immediately after capture. Shellfish can be steamed, boiled, or baked in the shell. Shellfish make excellent stew with greens or tubers.

Grasshoppers, locusts, large grubs, termites, ants, and other insects are easy to catch and will provide nourishment in an emergency.