Facts about fatal animal attacks in the U.S.

[Dogwood]

Myocardial Infarction is by far the biggest killer on the trail.

And, let's not forget the root causes of mycardial infarction. It's most often self imposed through lifestyle choices - diet, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, Diabetes, cholesterol problems...

This biggest killer on trail is our own behavior. This is not embraced as fully as it should.

[Dogwood]

humans can be said to have some responsibility in all fatal interactions with wildlife..

now a fair point is that it has no bearing on what animal is more dangerous to a hiker...[/QUOTE]


That's equivalent to saying a person's actions have no bearing on experiencing other dangerous humans.


Humans are animals!


Here's your erroneous statement reflecting that fact.


"...now a fair point is that it(human responsibility, human behavior) has no bearing on what animal is more(most) dangerous to a human animal..."


Even wildlife(wild non human animals) comprehend and obviously adjust their behavior to avoid dangers and minimize dangers from their own kind, environments, and, as well, predators. Yet, what this somehow doesn't apply to human animal behavior? Human behavior has no bearing on danger level or what's dangerous?

[BuckeyeBill]

Let's not forget the 200 or so people killed in deer collisions annually.

dont know if it was/is true, but a long time ago i read somewhere seemingly reputable that deer are the wild animal responsible for the most human fatalities in the US

I pretty sure this was posted before, but let us spread the word......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFCrJleggrI

[Lnj]

And, let's not forget the root causes of mycardial infarction. It's most often self imposed through lifestyle choices - diet, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, Diabetes, cholesterol problems...

This biggest killer on trail is our own behavior. This is not embraced as fully as it should.

The horse is a thin soup now. Nothing left to kick.

[tdoczi]

now a fair point is that it has no bearing on what animal is more dangerous to a hiker...

That's equivalent to saying a person's actions have no bearing on experiencing other dangerous humans.


Humans are animals!


Here's your erroneous statement reflecting that fact.


"...now a fair point is that it(human responsibility, human behavior) has no bearing on what animal is more(most) dangerous to a human animal..."


Even wildlife(wild non human animals) comprehend and obviously adjust their behavior to avoid dangers and minimize dangers from their own kind, environments, and, as well, predators. Yet, what this somehow doesn't apply to human animal behavior? Human behavior has no bearing on danger level or what's dangerous? [/QUOTE]
i may have misread your point.

you seemed to be saying that the statistic about deer causing fatalities was not what it seemed on the surface because you have to take into account the human behavior that lead to the fatality.

maybe that wasnt your point.

if it was, then my point is you can play that game with all animal related human fatalities. you can look at things the human did in every instance and make the argument that the human behavior was the cause, not the animal.

the people trail running in known grizzly habitat not that long ago spring to mind, for instance.

[rickb]

And, let's not forget the root causes of mycardial infarction. It's most often self imposed through lifestyle choices - diet, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, Diabetes, cholesterol problems...

This biggest killer on trail is our own behavior. This is not embraced as fully as it should.

Number of AT thru hikers struck down by heart attacks — while on a thru hike — is exceeding small. In the age of the Internet, those things tend to be noticed.

Number of thru hikers (or any ATHiker) killed by bears on the AT is zero.

By lightening. Zero thru hikers

By poorly prepared Fugu. Zero thu hikers

By hypothermia on a thru hike? Zero thru hikers

By dogs? Zero — but holly hell there have been a lot of hikers traumatized by them

By falls? Zero (remember, thru hikers)

By getting hit by a train? One thru hiker

By rabies? Zero thru hikers

By drowning? Three thru hikers.

By snakes? Zero thru hiker hikers.

By a homicidal criminal? 5 or 6 thru hikers

By a widow maker? Zero thru hikers.

By animal from National Zoo? Zero thru hikers (thanks in part to clear warning signs)

By car? Zero thru hikers (remember, just talking the AT, sadly different on other trails)

By alcohol poisoning and or hazing? Zero thru hikers.

By bad mushrooms (of any kind)? Zero thru hikers.

By drug overdose? Unknown.

By gangrene after untreated injury? Zero thru hikers.

By asphyxiation? Zero thu hikers, though one long distance section hiker was strangled to death pay person or perons unknown

By suicide? Zero reports among thru hikers, though I worry I could be wrong about this one

By bee/wasp sting? Zero thru hikers

By defenestration? Zero thru hikers

By boredom in the long green tunnel? Unknown.

[orthofingers]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the animals responsible for the most fatalities in the US (even though they are not attacking humans) are deer from animal/vehicle interactions.

[Lnj]

Number of AT thru hikers struck down by heart attacks — while on a thru hike — is exceeding small. In the age of the Internet, those things tend to be noticed.

Number of thru hikers (or any ATHiker) killed by bears on the AT is zero.

By lightening. Zero thru hikers

By poorly prepared Fugu. Zero thu hikers

By hypothermia on a thru hike? Zero thru hikers

By dogs? Zero — but holly hell there have been a lot of hikers traumatized by them

By falls? Zero (remember, thru hikers)

By getting hit by a train? One thru hiker

By rabies? Zero thru hikers

By drowning? Three thru hikers.

By snakes? Zero thru hiker hikers.

By a homicidal criminal? 5 or 6 thru hikers

By a widow maker? Zero thru hikers.

By animal from National Zoo? Zero thru hikers (thanks in part to clear warning signs)

By car? Zero thru hikers (remember, just talking the AT, sadly different on other trails)

By alcohol poisoning and or hazing? Zero thru hikers.

By bad mushrooms (of any kind)? Zero thru hikers.

By drug overdose? Unknown.

By gangrene after untreated injury? Zero thru hikers.

By asphyxiation? Zero thu hikers, though one long distance section hiker was strangled to death pay person or perons unknown

By suicide? Zero reports among thru hikers, though I worry I could be wrong about this one

By bee/wasp sting? Zero thru hikers

By defenestration? Zero thru hikers

By boredom in the long green tunnel? Unknown.

Now THAT is an interesting post! And a bit entertaining to boot! What about by Lyme or Gardia? That's another Phobia of the trail.

[Dogwood]

Appreciate the added effort in having a civilized give and take Tdozi. Yes, that was my pt...and, humans not willing to give our responsibility the just priority it rightly deserves.


Another example, similar to yours, is imposing human behavior like having a messy camp with highly attracting odors, not protecting food, not leaving wildlife wild, running from bears or cougars, getting to close to bear cubs, etc in negative bear or cougar encounters.

[Dogwood]

Rick, what's defenestration?

[rickb]

Rick, what's defenestration?

It’s one of those words you wait years to use in the proper context.

Thanks for reading and that far down

[Dogwood]

Well if you read all my BS hope you put on another pot of Joe.

You know someone is going to start correcting your itemized statements. NO, its not going to be me.

Hope you and yours are sporting an Aloha tan. Gonna glow in all that Mass snow.

[rickb]

You know someone is going to start correcting your itemized statements.

Corrections welcome — but I hope anyone attempting to do so keeps in mind that my list is limited to AT Thru Hikers.

I could be wrong about the fugu.

[orthofingers]

Sorry, I hadn't read the whole thread before posting about deer causing the most human fatalities. As far as this comment: [QUOTE=Dogwood;2198843] It's the ignorance and inattentiveness of humans in vehicles behind the wheel most responsible for those accidents with deer.

I don't think I was being ignorant or inattentive last fall when a big buck ran across the highway and I hit him. It was still dark and I never saw him and never even applied the brakes. After that experience I believe the end result would have been the same regardless of how intelligent or how attentive the driver had been. The result was one dead buck and a totaled vehicle although I wasn't injured.

[George]

Rick, what's defenestration?

falling out a window

[Dogwood]

[QUOTE=orthofingers;2198957]Sorry, I hadn't read the whole thread before posting about deer causing the most human fatalities. As far as this comment:

It's the ignorance and inattentiveness of humans in vehicles behind the wheel most responsible for those accidents with deer.

I don't think I was being ignorant or inattentive last fall when a big buck ran across the highway and I hit him. It was still dark and I never saw him and never even applied the brakes. After that experience I believe the end result would have been the same regardless of how intelligent or how attentive the driver had been. The result was one dead buck and a totaled vehicle although I wasn't injured.

What might a jury decide if it was a child? How about you? Would you have a different sentiment if it was a child you knew and loved? I'm asking not stating.

[Dogwood]

It’s one of those words you wait years to use in the proper context.

Thanks for reading and that far down

Yeah like plethora or the phrase ,"let's synchronize our watches."

[George]

hit a deer once, middle of the night, center lane of a 3 lane expressway - cannot say I saw it happen but

couple weeks ago I saw a dramatic one unfold

2 deer crossing a highway and they were moving out - easily 30 mph - (speed limit of 65)

first deer made it, so the drivers eye would be on that blur

second deer impacted the post between windshield and drivers window - it flew upward about 20 feet

vehicle pulled over so not too serious, but 1/10 of a second different could have been fatal to the driver (direct impact to the windshield)

[SpongeBob]

Having tried a couple motor vehicle cases, it depends. Car going 60 miles an hour travels 88 feet per second. Pretty good time to perceive a threat and react by getting a foot on the brake or swerving is 1.5 seconds. If the threat entered the road less than 132 feet ahead of the car, and speed was legal and appropriate for conditions, no time for the driver to avoid the collision.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BuckeyeBill]

I have hit two dear in my lifetime. First was with a 1988 T-Bird, hit the left front fender and driver's side mirror. It was early dawn and it was in a posted deer crossing area I was familiar with. The deer kept running and didn't seemed to be injured. Second time I was in a POS 1982 Mercury Station Wagon with a real steel front bumper. Only damage to the car was a cracked plastic headlight bezel, but that deer suffered injuries that put it down but failed to kill it. I called the Sheriff's Dept. to come out and put down. This new Deputy showed up and didn't know really what to do, so I said "Shoot it."" Well he shot it, but not in a vital area. I asked if he had any deer slugs for his shotgun in his cruiser and he said he did so i told him to try one. I had to tell him where to shoot and I was surprised he hit it in the right as bad as he was shaking. Poor Kid.

I agree with Dogwood about inattentiveness being a factor. Drivers need to be aware of what is going on all around their vehicle, no matter what road they are on or how fast they are driving. I was taught to allow a 10 second gap between you and the car in front of you and to keep your eyes moving Look in your mirrors, that's why they are there. Look out to the sides in front of you for cars and or animals heading towards you.