By John Salak –
Summer is at hand and that means a few things. It’s time to enjoy the great outdoors, whether that means camping, hiking, swimming, sailing and more. Yet it also means it’s time for many to ramp up their fears of coming face-to-face with wild creatures and getting mauled, squished, eaten or some combination of all three.
These fears are only heightened by recent reports like the death of a 70-year-old Alaskan man who got whacked by a mother moose after he got too close to her newborn calves when he tried to take some pictures. The moose mashing followed other recent reports of grizzly bears attacking but not killing one man in Wyoming and another in Canada.
Then, of course, there are the perpetual summertime fears of getting gobbled up by a ticked-off shark while taking a leisurely swim. Well, truth be told, people do get attacked by bears, sharks and other wild and wooly animals every year—and some of these encounters leave people quite dead. But the chances of tossing in your chips after running into Gentle Ben, the Big Bad Wolf or Jaws are extremely low.
Last year, in fact, Peta reported there were only two shark-related fatalities in the U.S. and bear-related deaths average less than one a year. It’s also been a while since anyone bought the farm from a wolf encounter.
But there are animals and outdoor dangers lurking about. Cows, for example, are far more dangerous than bears and sharks combined, accounting for about 22 deaths annually in the U.S., which is about the same number of people who die from skydiving every year. Then, of course, about 100 people perish every year from hunting accidents and perhaps 50 get bagged while riding jet skis. Oh yeah, about 70 people pop each year from lawnmower incidents, while 300 give up the ghost from ladder-related injuries.
Heck, even about 900 Americans die annually from constipation-related problems—and for those thinking of taking a summer vacation to the old country—say, France, one report warned that on average close to 25 people die every year in that country from ill-aimed champagne corks.
These other deadly encounters are not to suggest spooking a momma bear with her cubs or smacking a great white in the nose while splashing around off the Nantucket shore are good ideas. Rather, these stats are just used to keep everything in perspective.
Ultimately, there is a greater chance of getting whacked by Elsie the Cow than Yogi Bear.
