Somehow you took their response to mean "the rational thing to do is avoid all bushes, forever, no matter the consequences". The OP merely stated you should ad

Somehow you took their response to mean "the rational thing to do is avoid all bushes, forever, no matter the consequences". The OP merely stated you should adjust your behavior to the 1% chance. That would include weighing it against the risk of dying from dehydration, in your example.