# How Common Are Fatal Wild Animal-On-Human Attacks In (Western) Europe? Japan? Australia/NZ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242 "2024-04-13T20:36:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/1 "2024-04-13T20:36:58Z")
In the US, you’re far more likely to be killed by a domesticated animal than a wild one. Nevertheless, I’d say we maybe lose 10-12 people per year from a combination of mountain lion attacks, bear attacks, shark attacks, and bison attacks. As regards other First World countries, I’m to understand that Australia’s deadly wild animal problem is quite a bit overblownn for the sake of stereotypes. Nevertheless, how often do Aussies fall victim to fatal attacks by wild critters? Further, I understand that Japan has had its issues with [fatal bear attacks](https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/09/asia/bear-attacks-japan-record-climate-intl-hnk/index.html). What about Western Europe? Some quick googling reveals that you guys have bears in the far eastern regions, plus a couple of species of wild cats, jackals, wolverines, and wolves. Are you guys comparatively safe from wild animal attacks? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/2 "2024-04-13T21:00:50Z")
What counts as a “wild animal attack”? Serious question - because here in the UK I would be seriously surprised if any wild animal caused more deaths than wasps: > Estimates of the prevalence of anaphylaxis vary widely. In 2000, it was estimated that 25% of all UK deaths from anaphylaxis were due to reactions to hymenoptera stings. Every year in the UK there are 2–9 deaths due to anaphylaxis from bee or wasp stings. Wasp stings in the UK cause twice as many deaths due to anaphylaxis as bee stings. [Source.](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta246/documents/venom-anaphylaxis-immunotherapy-pharmalgen-final-scope2#:~:text=Every%20year%20in%20the%20UK,with%20an%20injection%20of%20adrenaline.) j ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/3 "2024-04-13T21:15:15Z")
How about getting nipped by a goose? And the hissing was quite menacing. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/4 "2024-04-13T21:24:22Z")
Fatal wild animal attacks, if you leave out bees, wasps and snakes, are close to non-existent in Europe. European brown bears almost never attack humans, outside bear hunting scenarios involving wounded animals fighting for their lives. Even then, fatal attacks simply don’t occur. A mama bear with cubs can be dangerous, but encounters with these are exceedingly rare, as the bears expertly steer clear of humans. The single fatal bear attack in modern times here happened when a jogger suddenly found himself between a mama bear and her cubs. Even then, the mama bear only swiped at the jogger once. Her claw grabbed the guy’s neck, which lead to an embolism. So, even here, a freak accident was needed to make it a fatality. Moose are the biggest land animal here, and could mess up a human. The only practical risk is again a mama moose with young. Ending up too close to the young can provoke an attack, which is a threat display more than anything. Some people have had to climb a tree to wait for the mama moose to leave guard. No-one has been killed in these rare encounters. European wolves have never attacked humans in modern times. A wolf that didn’t quickly run away from a human encounter is headline news. Wolves in general are deadly afraid of humans. Lynxes, wolverines, and raccoon dogs never attack humans, outside a rabid individual. They are way too small to do so otherwise, as per survival instinct. As far as wild animals go, we are completely safe from animal attacks. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/5 "2024-04-13T21:32:10Z")
Mosquitoes that transmit potentially deadly diseases are on the rise in Europe: malaria, denge, west-nile-virus… seldom, but there are cases. And then there is rabies. From foxes or bats, mostly. Very seldom, but there are some. Wild boars can be vicious. And bears are not limited to Eastern European countries: there habe been reported attacks, some deadly, in Spain, Germany (the famous Problembär) and Italy. But it is not something that one should worry about. It is more dangerous to trip and fall while walking than being attacked by animals. Poisonous plants are also dangerous, we have many of those. But people don’t usually eat them. Talking of eating: mussels and oysters may be the most dangerous things around here. And mayonnaise in summer. So: chicken. Nasty beasts. Not really wild, I guess. Some dogs are dangerous, but probably not wild in the sense meant by the OP. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/6 "2024-04-13T21:32:15Z")
Despite Australia being home to some of the nastiest critters on the planet, fatal attacks by wildlife are surprisingly rare. Most commonly you will hear of crocodile attacks (folks, do NOT go in the water in the northern bits of Aus!!), sharks and perhaps snake bites or jellyfish stings. Non-fatal attacks are far more frequent of course, and everything from a wee spider to a cassowary will definitely have a go at you if given a chance. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/7 "2024-04-13T21:45:16Z")
There was a famous Australian death by a stingray: > **[Death of Steve Irwin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Steve_Irwin)** > > On 4 September 2006, Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and television programmer Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray while filming in the Great Barrier Reef. The stingray's barb pierced his chest, penetrating his thoracic wall and heart, causing massive trauma. He was at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas, Queensland, taking part in the production of an underwater documentary Ocean's Deadliest. During a lull in filming caused by inclement weather, Irwin decided to snorkel in shallow waters Ir... We had a big thread: > [@"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin killed by stingray -](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370): > > [“Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin killed by stingray](http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20349541-5001021,00.html) - ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/8 "2024-04-13T21:52:45Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > there habe been reported attacks, some deadly, in Spain, Germany (the famous Problembär) and Italy. The Problembär, or the first bear to set foot in Germany in 170 years, killed livestock for food but never attacked humans, before being killed: [https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=appalachia](https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=appalachia) I’ll have to look into these “bear attacks, some deadly”, but based on the above, it’s not looking promising. Also, context is everything: like I said, bears that are attacked by humans fight back when there is no escape, so any bear hunting scenario is out of consideration, given that you need to seek out the animal and shoot and corner it before anything happens to you. The American situation, where a Grizzly may walk into your tent and carry you away by the head to eat you just doesn’t happen with the European bear. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/9 "2024-04-13T22:04:58Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > I’ll have to look into these “bear attacks, some deadly”, but based on the above, it’s not looking promising. Deadly attack in Italy in 2023: > **[Bear that killed man in Italy had previously attacked two others](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/12/bear-that-killed-man-in-italy-had-previously-attacked-two-others)** > > Female bear that killed Andrea Papi close to mountain village last week attacked a father and son in 2020 Very seldom indeed. First case in modern times. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/10 "2024-04-13T22:20:08Z")
Thanks for the link! The killer bear was a female, and attacked in April. No mention of cubs in the bare-bones article, but one has to wonder, as an adult female in the spring time likely has 'em, having given birth during the winter in the den. Very little context about the other attacks as well in the article, but that same bear attacked humans in June a couple years earlier. Again, an adult female in cub season. It’d be very interesting to learn about the context. At any rate, the only Italian in modern times to have been fatally attacked by a bear, and fatality was the OP’s question. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/11 "2024-04-13T22:45:24Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > There was a famous Australian death by a stingray: > > [Death of Steve Irwin - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Steve_Irwin) But one death does not a ‘common occurrence’ make. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2024, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/12 "2024-04-13T22:46:41Z")
So, to answer how common, the answer (in the stingray case) would be: extremely uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/13 "2024-04-14T00:28:08Z")
Uncommon and very weird: a man was fatally injured by a **beaver** in Belarus in 2013. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130911095943/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/29/beaver-kills-man-belarus](https://web.archive.org/web/20130911095943/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/29/beaver-kills-man-belarus) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/14 "2024-04-14T00:28:12Z")
There were [541 animal-caused deaths in 2001-2017](https://files.ncis.org.au/2023-06/Fact%20sheet%20-%20FS20-01%20-%20Animal-related%20deaths%20in%20Australia.pdf). Almost half of the 541 deaths are horses and cattle, maybe some wild but most in farm and riding settings, and then dogs come next. Kangaroos and snakes are vying for deadliest wild thing, followed by bees. Sharks are poor performers, and their long-term average since start of European settlement has been 1 fatality p.a. Considering that since then the population has risen 25,000 times, is very coastal and spends lots of time in the water a rate of 1.5 p.a. is actually a big drop. Overall 541 in 17 years is pretty good, considering every single thing in Australia is capable of attacking you. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/15 "2024-04-14T01:04:52Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Kangaroos Huh! I, for one, didn’t have the impression kangaroos were dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/16 "2024-04-14T01:38:05Z")
If you hit one on the highway at 100kph, you’re going to be in a bit of strife. Similar to deer in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/17 "2024-04-14T01:42:43Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Moose are the biggest land animal here, and could mess up a human. Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti… ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/18 "2024-04-14T02:12:09Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > The American situation, where a Grizzly may walk into your tent and carry you away by the head to eat you just doesn’t happen with the European bear. It’s good that doesn’t happen in America, either. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/19 "2024-04-14T02:48:30Z")
There was a Polar Bear attack on a tourist in Norway back in 2011 > **[2011 Svalbard polar bear attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Svalbard_polar_bear_attack)** > > The 2011 Svalbard polar bear attack was an attack by a presumed starving polar bear on a group of university students and their guides. The bear killed one person, injured four others, and was then shot. > On 5 August 2011, a polar bear in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard attacked a party of thirteen university students, who were undertaking an expedition organised by the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), and were camped near the Von Post glacier, 25 miles (40 km) from the settlement ... ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242/20 "2024-04-14T06:05:43Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > > [@Banksiaman](#): > > > > Kangaroos > > Huh! I, for one, didn’t have the impression kangaroos were dangerous. A buck 'roo on the lookout for a lady 'roo can be a formidable opponent. And yeah, hitting one in your car on a highway can be even more dangerous. But having said that, reports of ‘local killed by murderous kangaroo’ are extremely few and far between. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-are-fatal-wild-animal-on-human-attacks-in-western-europe-japan-australia-nz/1000242.md?page=2)