How likely are wild animals to attack?

Everyone would have seen a movie at one point with killer wolves or sharks or a creature that attacked someone just for the sake of attacking, but in reality, more people are killed each year from defective toasters than from sharks, so exactly how likely are wild animals to attack and what are you chances of survival?

The chances of being attacked by an animal in the wild would depend greatly on where you are in the world, here in the UK we don’t have to worry about seeing a lion on the way to the supermarket, or a giant snake sitting in the toilet bowl, but this can’t be said for many other regions of the planet.

Here are some of the most common animals that attack people and how likely they are to become aggressive:

Bears

Even though they are big and scary, bears rarely attack people, and often when they do it’s because they have young nearby or they were spooked by something. Statistically, there are about 2.5 deaths from bears in North America each year, to put that into comparison around 90 people die in North America every year from lightning, so you are 36 times more likely to die during a storm than you are from a bear.

Wolves

Wolf attacks are almost non-existent, mostly due to how rare these creatures are. Whenever encountered in the wild in the few areas they can be found, they normally prefer to run instead of attack. The only exceptions are the very remote areas of the Arctic Circle when food can be scarce, and in these circumstances, they have been known to stalk people but very rarely attack. There is on average 1 human death caused by wolves every 5 years Globally.

Sharks

In 2018 there was a total of 101 documented shark attacks, of which only 6 were fatal. The majority of these happen in the United States and Australia, mostly due to the local culture of surfing and summertime sea activities.
About 3/4 of all shark attacks result in an injury, with the other quarter being little more than bruises and scrapes. However, a quarter of all attacks reported were in situations where the shark was provoked, mostly by people wanting to get a close-up picture.

Large Cats – lions, tigers, jaguars etc…

Figures on these animals attacking seem impossible to come by, but almost every single death caused by them is due to them being provoked or people getting too close. Many of these animals have been hunted close to extinction and they have become incredibly paranoid of people. Also, many of the attacks on tourists while on safari are normally due to a tourist wanting to get closer, and closer, and closer, which is especially dangerous if they have young with them.

Snakes

These creatures vary massively as there are so many species. In the United States, the number of deaths caused by snakes is about 5 people a year, but in the UK there hasn’t been a snake-related death for a very long time. Australia has the most poisonous snakes in the world but most of them aren’t very aggressive and prefer to run instead of fight, which gives the continent about 5 snake-related deaths a year.

Wild Grazing Animals – Deer, elk, moose, pigs etc

Whenever there’s a death from these animals it’s always treated as a freak accident, with the exception of people who get killed by wild boar. Deer and other larger grazing animal-related deaths are always in situations where they have been spooked while with their young or they panicked and ran over someone. As for boar attacks, these are very rare and only seem to occur in hunting situations, and with the rarity of the creatures in most areas of the world you’d have a greater chance of dying from a coordinated ninja squirrel attack.

Rodents and small game – rats, otters, beavers, raccoons, etc

These rarely cause deaths, even though millions of people get bit or scratched by them each year. Every single natural death from one of these creatures was caused by a small bite getting infected and then later dying from an illness. Most of these creatures couldn’t kill you even if they wanted to, but the chances of something like a raccoon scratch or bite being fatal in a country like the US are pretty much non-existent.

Spiders and non-flying insects

Around 7 people die each year in the US from spider bites, with the number being substantially higher in South America and areas where venomous spiders live. In contrast, there are normally no deaths each year in countries like the UK, with the only ones being from spiders hiding in goods shipped into the country. Spiders don’t attack people unless you attack them first, with most choosing to run instead of actively attacking someone. Unless you pick up a wild venomous spider and start poking it, you’ll probably be fine.

Non-flying insect-related deaths are also close to being non-existent, with the only recorded ones each year being from someone who was stung by something they were particularly allergic to.

Bees and Wasps

There are about 53 deaths in the US each year from bees, with wasps not even managing a quarter of that number. Bees rarely attack but when they do it’s due to someone disturbing a nest and dying from anaphylactic shock caused by the bee’s venom.

Flying insects – mosquitoes, flying ants, etc.

Mosquitoes are by far the biggest killer of any living creature on the planet. The World Health Organization estimates there are around 1 million deaths each year caused by mosquitoes, most of which are malaria-related deaths. The creature itself isn’t dangerous at all and wouldn’t be able to physically kill you itself, but they are the most common cause of the spread of certain fatal diseases. This nasty little flying creature has caused more deaths throughout human history than every single death from every single war ever fought combined.