Disasters are events that occur randomly during the game and pose a special threat to the player and its cubs.
Forest fire
Sometimes a lightning strikes in the vicinity of the player. This starts a fire. To survive, the player must evade the flames and exit the area. The flames last about one or two minutes, and then are extiguished by rain.
The fire is insta-kill for you and your cubs.
In scent mode, you can see the fire as red.
I suggest not to panic, as if you run into a corner or loose your stamina you will loose a cub. Instead carry on like normal either going out of the current area or climbing onto a cliff to sit it out. the fire can't got onto cliffs similar to the wolves.
The Lonesome Fog
In the lake and den area there may appear a huge black cloud that covers some most of the map, including the islands. When this happens, the music will change and the sky will darken.When at the lake, in order to escape the fog you must travel as far up hill as you possibly can, or leave the area entirely. When in the den area, the fog will spawn in the forested parts of the map. Head to your den and wait until it passes. If you decide to head into the fog, you run the risk of losing your cubs. When you find yourself incapable of escaping the fog, sit down and wait for it to recede. If a cub wanders out of your sight, you cannot find them again and they are considered dead. The fog also has a cousin in the mountains, though doesn't have a confirmed name just. Unlike the fog, it will spread everywhere and you simply have to wait until it disappears.
Wolf attack
The wolf attack in Shelter 2 is much like the fog in some ways. When you are in the Tundra, the area will darken, the music will change and a wolf will howl. The player will hear howling and barking, and if the player tries to meow instead, Inna will hiss. To survive there are two known ways, as revealed in one of "Jayplays" (Jayplays is a youtuber who specializes in animal gameplays.) mountain videos.
When in the tundra you may notice multiple plateaus scattered across the map. When you near them, a notification to jump will appear. Once you jump up, your cubs should follow you up unless you're playing in survival mode. If this is the case, you must bring the cubs up one by one. The wolves will stand at the bottom of the ledge until the music goes back to normal and they run away.
If you fail to do any of this the wolves will kill one of your cubs before knocking you out. You will wake up moments later with one less baby than you had before.
This also occurs at the start of the game, you must run until you reach a cliff and jump onto it.
The last known way to evade the wolf attack is to carry around a rabbit carcass at all times. When the area begins to darken and the wolves approach, drop the carcass and back away. They will eat and then leave. It is said that if you so much as touch one of the wolves while this is happening, your baby might be taken. The wolves ONLY appear in the tundra, so you do not have to worry about it anywhere else.
Eagle attack
The eagle is known to be in both the original "Shelter", as well as Shelter 2. There are two different ways to deal with it, depending on the game.
Shelter: You must run between the patches of grass/logs to escape the eagle's grasp, using the shadow as a reference to the bird's location. If you or a cub run underneath the shadow, the eagle will fly down and attempt to grab a cub. In the end of the game, you will come across a wide-open area with no places to hide. When you run that way, the eagle will attack and kill you. After the credits, the eagle is shown with you in her talons, flying to her hungry chicks.
Shelter 2: Sometimes, the music will change and you will hear a loud cry. This is the sign of an eagle attack being triggered. Two ways to avoid your cubs being taken is to either hide in your original den or wait until it swoops down to grab a cub. It is vital you stay calm as this is happening, and watch which cub is grabbed. Once the cub is grabbed, you aim and leap at the eagle. If done successfully, the eagle will fall and your cubs will eat it.
Fox attack
This occurs in "Paws: a shelter 2 game". In this a fox attacks you; the only way to avoid it is to jump onto the tiny ledges. If it attacks you, the bear will reach you and fight off the fox. If you manage to get away from the fox, you will continue up the mountain and meet the bear shortly after, the game seeming to continue as normal. Although, you will not get the achievement nor the memory if you do not get past the fox on your own. I suggest not to sprint and leap, instead sprint, stop, leap.
Shelter 2: In the mountain DLC of Shelter 2 foxes will be added. They will follow you and try to take your cubs by grabbing them and running away when you aren't looking. When the fox is near, a twig will snap and you may here various "snorting" noises. They could be described as sneezing, too. If the fox manages to grab a cub, you have the chance to attack and kill it before it gets away. The best tactic for most players is to simply watch the fox and walk away, keeping your cubs close. If you manage to fend it off for long enough, it will get bored and run away.
Shelter 1: You find a single fox in level 1, 4 and 5. You also find two foxes in level 3. Feeds all cubs. (not an attack)
Swan attack
This only occurs in "Paws: a shelter 2 game". You will experience one unavoidable attack. The only way to avoid them is to sneak through the grass patches in the Swan Swamps. If you are visible near a swan you will hear a loud squawk and shortly after you will see the swan flying at you. When you hear strange hissing sounds, that's the warning a swan is near.