Have you ever asked yourself this question: Which are the most lethal animals in the United States? UU.? It seems a simple question to answer and surely you will have answered quickly the white shark! However, you should know that you are much more likely to die because of one of the animals you live with every day. Sounds scary, does not it?
Surely when someone thinks of lethal animals come to mind animals almost taken from horror films, but the reality is that, according to a study conducted in the United States between 2008 and 2015, which accounted for a total of 1,610 animal-related deaths, most of them were unrelated with potentially poisonous animals, bearing in mind that the study included deaths from bites, contact, attack or even poisoning. This number of deaths means, approximately 2.8 deaths, in these conditions, for every million people.
The most lethal animals in the US UU
The surprising thing about this study is that most of those deaths were not related to the attack of any wild animal . Instead, the large percentage of deaths were caused by large mammals, such as horses or even cattle.
According to a press release, there are other studies that have found that there are many deaths that occurred on farms , especially accidents related to horses and cows that represent 90 percent of all agricultural accidents. As you can see, farm animals can be considered the most lethal animals in the United States. UU
Another group of US lethal animals is the group called hymenoptera, or hornets, wasps and bees. This deadly group accounts for almost 30 percent of animal-related deaths.
According to that press release, It is known that "africanized" bees, which are usually located in the south and west of the USA. can be particularly lethal when they swarm.
But there is still a third group that belong to the most lethal animals in EE. UU Maybe this third group surprises you a lot, since they are considered the best friends of man. The accidents related to dogs suppose, approximately, 4.6 deaths by each 10 million people. That same study clarifies that young children are the most vulnerable to these attacks. Not in vain, the rate of deaths in children under 4 years of age by dogs is twice that of other equally vulnerable age groups; People older than 65 years.
In an interview in 2012, Dr. Jared A. Forrester stated:
"The most common deaths related to animals are large mammals, such as cattle or horses, but if we only consider the attacks of wild animals, the most common cause of death is due to poisonous animals, such as wasps or bees. "
"I think people have in mind that the most dangerous animals are cougars, bears or alligators, but a bee is more dangerous if a person is predisposed to a reaction."
How can you protect yourself?
But now that we know that the most lethal animals in the US UU they are animals that you could cross daily , we asked ourselves in what way we could minimize the risks of suffering an attack.
Sometimes the predisposition to one of these attacks is due to your location. Again, a study conducted in 2012 ruled that people living in the south have up to 47 percent more chance of suffering attacks related to animals.
In addition, risk groups are usually infants and young children under 4 years of age, especially if they are dog bites.
The researchers recommend that there are more public health initiatives and more social conscience about this problem in order to be able to prevent most of the deaths that occurred, for example, on farms.
Regarding bee and wasp stings, it is highly recommended be aware of your allergies since those bites do not affect the same to an allergic person as to one that is not. If you are a person allergic to insect bites , you should always have at hand some antidote that you can take in a moment of urgency.
Prevention against the attack of dogs, also requires common sense. It is best not to leave dogs alone with small children or with elderly people, the two most vulnerable groups.
As Dr. Forrester says, there's not much reason to worry
"In many ways, the data is quite reassuring. The most common cause of death are not the most frightening animals, necessarily, but the most common interactions we have with farm animals are, and these can be prevented. "
What do you think about our article on the most lethal animals in the US? UU.? Have you ever suffered an attack from any of them? If so, tell us your case, we will be happy to read you!