As you read these words, my wife and Camille and I will be on safari in Africa, attempting to see impressive wildlife in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya. It should be a fantastic "bucket list" trip, and we feel fortunate to be able to venture forth in this manner.
The physician in me also wonders about members of the animal kingdom that we might encounter, from a safety perspective. I recall reading about a tourist vehicle being attacked by an elephant recently, killing a couple of members of our species. I researched dangerous animals afterward. What are the deadliest living things we might encounter, from a statistical perspective?
The list of global human deaths due to animals is lengthy, and insects keep cropping up. Mosquitos kill 780,000 annually, largely by spreading malaria, yellow fever and other maladies. Children are disproportionately vulnerable to malarial blood parasites.
Other arthropods serve as disease vectors. Sandflies, for example, transmit the causative agent for leishmaniasis, causing 14,000 annual deaths. The "kissing bug," which is not adorable, spreads Chagas disease, causing 7,000 annual deaths. Tsetse flies, similarly, transmit trypanosomiasis, killing 2,300. Worldwide, we contend with bees, estimated to kill 60 people every year through anaphylactic shock.
Other organisms that transmit infectious illnesses include freshwater snails, spreading schistosomiasis, killing 10,000 annually. The pork tapeworm, not to be outdone, causes cysticercosis (potentially invading the brain). I think Robert Kennedy Jr. survived this, leaving him to experience complications of an encysted parasitic brain worm.
Still eager to travel? Consider that jellyfish kill 40 people a year. It is noteworthy that horror movies rarely dwell on parasitic infections or floating invertebrates. Bear maulings, shark attacks and similar events seem to attract larger audiences.
Among the three million people bitten by venomous snakes annually, about 400,000 suffer amputations because of tissue damage experienced, with about 75,000 being killed, according to Our World in Data. Snakes emerge, therefore, as a major public health hazard, particularly in tropical climates.
Consider that dogs, our best friends, share 99.9% identical genetic makeup as wolves, managing to kill 13,000 people annually. Those canine-caused deaths still represent only one-sixth of the snake-bite death toll. Scorpions kill 3,500 annually, crocodiles 1,000, hippopotamuses 500, elephants 100, lions 100, tigers 50, wolves 10, and sharks four.
I thought sharks would rank higher on the hit parade of killer animals. Due to inherent skepticism, I always wonder if the tourist industry downplays stories of shark attacks.
I recall scuba diving in Tahiti years ago, and being advised that if you see a shark, don't worry because you will probably see a few more.We encountered reef sharks behaving quite placidly. Sharks, we are told, do not particularly like to prey on humans. Moreover, they tend to be scavengers, and play a vital role in the ecosystem.
That is fine, but I still imagine the "Jaws" movie theme when I enter the ocean, notwithstanding official reassurances.
Let's recognize that another animal, Homo sapiens, is also an enormous threat to living people. Around 546,000 homicides occur annually, worldwide, so we rank just below mosquitos as causative agents of human death. Moreover, a snake typically bites when it feels threatened, but humans also attack each other for reasons related to war or sociopathy.
The emergence of modern humans corresponded with extinction of impressive animal species, due to human predation, over the past 50,000 years. Woolly mammoths, giant sloths and sabertooth tigers are all long gone from our planet.
Is there any way to remain safe on safari? I favor following basic safety procedures. We will use malaria prophylaxis, wear mosquito repellent and seek advice from the guides. It's a dangerous world out there.
Scott Anderson, M.D. ([email protected]), is a clinical professor at UC Davis Medical School. This column is informational and does not constitute medical advice.