There is a new TV series coming out on CBS called “Zoo” that is based on the idea of animals hunting humans to take over the world. That got me wondering what animal is most likely to kill you this summer?
The series is based on the James Patterson #1 best selling novel of the same name. The basic idea of the book and now series is that animals once ruled the planet and what would happen if they decided to reclaim control? You can watch the trailer for “Zoo” at the bottom of the page.
That series is fiction. However, humans are killed by animals every year in some manner. So, what animal is most likely to kill you this summer? You might be surprised by the answer.
To begin with, it is NOT likely that it will be one of the scary predators that you might think of first like sharks, alligators or bears. These three animals are only responsible for one human death each a year on average according to the Washington Post.
Venomous snakes and lizards are more likely to cause your death than the previous mentioned predators as these reptiles are responsible for six human deaths a year. One has to wonder how many of those deaths are people who decided these poisonous animals are a cool pet?
Spiders are credited with an average of seven deaths a year. Again, you have to wonder how many of these deaths are to owners who keep them as pets.
Non-venomous arthropods like ants and other non-poisonous bugs are held responsible for killing nine people a year.
Cows are surprisingly a serious threat to humans as they kill an average of 20 people each year. These cattle do not go out on a killing spree after breaking free of their pasture. The deaths are among people that work with the animals on farms. So, don’t go out “cow tipping” and the odds of you being killed by a cow is dropped to zero.
Dogs are called “man’s best friend,” but they are also a serious threat to human life as they are responsible for an average of 28 deaths a year. One can only imagine that these deaths by dogs can only be a result of either some kind of disease or conditioning of the dogs by humans that result in the fatal incident.
Other mammals like horses, pigs and the like are credited with 52 deaths each year.
What animal is the most likely to kill you this summer? Deer are responsible for an average of 200 deaths each year as a result of collisions with cars according to the Insurance Journal. The deaths are combined with an average cost of $4 Billion as a result of these automobile accidents with deer.
So don’t worry so much about going swimming in the ocean or taking a hike in the woods this summer. Just pay attention and you will more than likely be fine. However, you may want to pay close attention when driving to and from that relaxing get-a-way to make sure you don’t have an encounter with a deer on the road.
By: Buck Stevens
