Animal attack

{{Short description|Violent attacks caused by non-human animals against humans}}

{{globalize|date=April 2019}}

File:Report dog bites LCCN93511152.tif

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}

Animal attacks are violent attacks caused by non-human animals against humans, one of the most common being bites. These attacks are a cause of human injuries and fatalities worldwide.{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs373/en/|title=Animal bites|publisher=World Health Organization|language=en-GB|access-date=30 January 2018}} According to the 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, 56% of United States citizens owned a pet.{{Cite journal|last1=Bula-Rudas|first1=Fernando J.|last2=Olcott|first2=Jessica L.|date=2018-10-01|title=Human and Animal Bites|url=https://pedsinreview.aappublications.org/content/39/10/490|journal=Pediatrics in Review|language=en|volume=39|issue=10|pages=490–500|doi=10.1542/pir.2017-0212|issn=0191-9601|pmid=30275032|s2cid=52898850|url-access=subscription}} In the United States in 1994, approximately 4.7 million people were bitten by dogs.{{cite web |title=Dog-Bite-Related Fatalities -- United States, 1995-1996 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047723.htm |website=CDC |publisher=U.S. Center for Disease Control |access-date=2 November 2019}} The frequency of animal attacks varies with geographical location, as well as hormonal secretion. Gonad glands found on the anterior side of the pituitary gland secrete androgen and estrogen hormones. Animals with high levels of these hormones, which depending on the species can be a seasonal occurrence, such as during rutting season, tend to be more aggressive, which leads to a higher frequency of attacks not only to humans but among themselves.{{Cite book|last=Svare|first=Bruce B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fkrhBwAAQBAJ&q=aggressive+animal+behavior&pg=PA3|title=Hormones and Aggressive Behavior|date=2013-03-07|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4613-3521-4|language=en}} In the United States, a person is more likely to be killed by a domesticated dog than they are to die from being hit by lightning according to the National Safety Council.{{cite web | title = Injury Facts Chart | publisher=National Safety Council| url = http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/injury-facts-chart.aspx

| access-date = 9 April 2015

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Animal attacks have been identified as a major public health problem. In 1997, it was estimated that up to 2 million animal bites occur each year in the United States. Injuries caused by animal attacks result in thousands of fatalities worldwide every year.{{cite journal|last1=Warrell|first1=D.A.|title= Venomous bites and stings in the tropical world|journal=Medical Journal of Australia |date=1993|volume=159|issue=11–12|pages=773–779|pmid=8264466|doi=10.5694/j.1326-5377.1993.tb141345.x|s2cid=36567559}} "Unprovoked attacks occur when the animal approaches and attacks a person(s) who is the principal attractant, for example, predation on humans ..."{{cite book|last=Angelici|first=Francesco|title=Problematic Wildlife: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach|publisher=Springer|year=2016|isbn=978-3-319-22246-2|location=Cham}}{{cite web|date=February 2013|title=Animal bites|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs373/en/|access-date=27 February 2017|publisher=World Health Organization}} All causes of death are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year. Medical injury codes are used to identify specific cases.{{cite journal|last1=Langley|first1=Ricky L.|last2=Morrow|first2=William E.|title=Deaths resulting from animal attacks in the United States|journal=Wilderness and Environmental Medicine|date=1997|volume=8|issue=1|pages=8–16|pmid=11990139|doi=10.1580/1080-6032(1997)008[0008:drfaai]2.3.co;2|doi-access=free}} The World Health Organization uses identical coding, though it is unclear whether all countries keep track of animal-related fatalities. Though animals, excluding some tigers, do not regularly hunt humans, there is concern that these incidents are "bad for many species 'public image'."

Epidemiology and injuries

Animal bites are the most common form of injury from animal attacks. The U.S. estimated annual count of animal bites is 250,000 human bites, 1 to 2 million dog bites, 400,000 cat bites, and 45,000 bites from snakes. Bites from skunks, horses, squirrels, rats, rabbits, pigs, and monkeys may be up to one percent of bite injuries. Unprovoked pet ferret attacks have caused serious facial injuries. Non-domesticated animals, although assumed to be more common, especially as a cause of rabies infection, make up less than one percent of reported bite wounds. Bites to the right arm are the most likely due to defensive reactions when the victim uses their dominant arm. The most common location for fatal bites is on the individual's head.{{Cite journal|last1=Clark|first1=Michael A.|last2=Sandusky|first2=George E.|last3=Hawley|first3=Dean A.|last4=Pless|first4=John E.|last5=Fardal|first5=Patrick M.|last6=Tate|first6=Larry R.|date=1991-07-01|title=Fatal and Near-Fatal Animal Bite Injuries|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1520/jfs13146j|journal=Journal of Forensic Sciences|volume=36|issue=4|pages=1256–61|doi=10.1520/jfs13146j|pmid=1919485|issn=0022-1198|url-access=subscription}} It is estimated that three-quarters of bites to humans are to the arms or legs. Bites to the face constitute only ten percent of total bites. Children aged ten and younger suffer two-thirds of reported bite injuries. Bite injuries are often the result of an animal attack, including instances when a human attacks another human. Human bites are the third most frequent type of bite after dog and cat bites.{{cite book|last=Cherry|first=James|title=Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases – Animal and Human Bites, Morven S. Edwards|publisher=Elsevier/Saunders|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4557-1177-2|location=Philadelphia, PA|postscript=; Access provided by the University of Pittsburgh}} Dog bites are commonplace, with children the most frequently bitten and the face and scalp the most common targets.{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Henry|last2=Neumeier|first2=Anna|last3=Davies|first3=Brett|last4=Durairaj|first4=Vikram|date=3 September 2013|title=Analysis of Pediatric Facial Dog Bites|journal=Craniomaxillofacial Trauma and Reconstruction|volume=6|issue=4|pages=225–232|doi=10.1055/s-0033-1349211|pmc=3820741|pmid=24436765}}

Infections

Animal bites carry an increased risk of infection due to their exposure to rabies and different bacteria that animals have in their oral cavity. Microbiological studies are carried out to determine some of these infections. Frequently these infections are polymicrobial with different mixtures of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Some of the bacteria identified by the remains that are maintained in the bites and by exposure to other variables and change of physical environment are: Pasturella spp., Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Moraxella, Corynebacterium, Neisseria, Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, Posphuomonoa, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, and Prevotella.{{Cite journal|last1=Goldstein|first1=E J|last2=Citron|first2=D M|date=1988-08-01|title=Comparative activities of cefuroxime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, and ofloxacin against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria isolated from bite wounds |journal=Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy |volume=32|issue=8|pages=1143–1148|doi=10.1128/aac.32.8.1143|pmid=3190202|pmc=172366|issn=0066-4804}}

Treatments

Treatment for those who have been attacked depends on the injuries. Though trauma may be addressed first, subsequent infections are also treated with appropriate antibiotics. The use of prophylactic antibiotics can significantly reduce the risk of a serious infection in the lesion.{{cite book |last=Boat|first=Barbara W.|chapter=Dog Bites to Children: Family Interventions and Prevention Strategies|date=2019|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-812962-3.00003-4|title=Clinician's Guide to Treating Companion Animal Issues |pages=35–46 |publisher=Elsevier |doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-812962-3.00003-4 |isbn=978-0-12-812962-3 |s2cid=149938544|access-date=2020-10-01}} It is important to visit a doctor if the bite is severe. Up to three-quarters of dog bites happen to those younger than 20 years old. In the United States, the costs associated with dog bites are estimated at over $1 billion annually. The age groups that suffer most from dog bites are children 5 to 9 years old. Often bites go unreported and receive no medical treatment. Up to one percent of pediatric emergency room visits are for animal bites. This is more frequent during the summer months. Up to five percent of children receiving emergency care for dog bites are hospitalized. Bites typically occur in the late afternoon and early evening. Girls are bitten more frequently by cats than by dogs, while boys are bitten by dogs two times more often than are girls. To prevent serious and even fatal infections, rabies vaccines for both humans and non-human animals are recommended, even if the person is not directly exposed to the infection. In addition, it is essential to know and consider the probability of transmission, the animal that caused the bite, the type and severity of the injury, and the age and overall health of the victim.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} In 1936, amputation was required in a third of cases in which treatment was delayed for 24 hours or longer.

Medical codes for animal attacks

Injuries resulting from encounters with animals occur with sufficient frequency to require the use of medical codes by clinicians and insurance companies to document such encounters. The ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes are used for the purpose of clearly identifying diseases, their causes, injuries in the United States. Clinicians use these codes to quantify the medical condition and its causes and to bill insurance companies for the treatment required as a result of encounters with animals.

class="wikitable"
Code

! Description

W53

| Contact with rodent

W54

| Contact with dog

W55

| Contact with other mammals

W56

| Contact with non-venomous marine animal

W57

| Bitten or stung by non-venomous insect and other non-venomous arthropods

W58

| Contact with crocodile or alligator

W59

| Contact with other non-venomous reptiles

W61

| Contact with birds (domestic) (wild)

W62

| Contact with non-venomous amphibians

colspan="2" | Reference:{{cite web |title=Exposure to animate mechanical forces, W50-W64 |url=https://icd.who.int/browse10/2015/en#/W50-W64 |website=ICD-10 Version:2015 |publisher=World Health Organization |access-date=2 November 2019}}

Notable deaths

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95"

!Year

!Name

!Age

!Details

ca 1000 BC

|Parikshit

|n.a.

|Bit by a snake

30 BC

|Cleopatra

|39 years

|Bit by a snake (suicide)

519

|Conleth

|~60 years

|Killed by wolves

912

|Oleg the Wise

|n.a.

|Bit by a snake

ca 1500

|Lakṣmīpriyā

|n.a.

|Bit by a snake

1528

|Tenali Rama

|47 years

|Bit by a snake

1582

|Crocodiles in Pskov

|various

|A number of crocodiles escaped from captivity to a local river, then reportedly attacked and devoured many city residentsPskov chronicles for 1582 contain such paragraph: "In the year 7090 [1582] ... That same year, crocodiles, fierce beasts, came from the [ Velikaya ] river, and coming across, devoured many people. People got frightened, and prayed to God across the land. Some went into hiding for a while, some were killed." Original text (Russian): «Того ж лета изыдоша коркодили лютии звери из реки, и путь затвориша, людей много поядоша. И ужасошася людие и молиша бога по всей земли. И паки спряташася, а иних избиша.…». Cited in Pskov Chronicles,1955, Vol. 2, P. 262, and in the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles, 1841, [https://books.google.com/books?id=vI1OAQAAMAAJ&dq=коркодили&pg=RA3-PA320 Vol. 3, P. 320].

1787

|Two-Headed Boy of Bengal

|4 years

|Bit by a snake

1852

|HMS Birkenhead

|various

|Hundreds of sharks attacked sinking ship sailors. A few hundred men were killed

1898

|Lions of Tsavo

|various

|A pair of lions attacked rail workers' camps for months. Killed 30-125 men

1913

|Carl Hagenbeck

|57 years

|Bit by a snake

1920

|King Alexander of Greece {{flagicon|GRE}}

|27 years

|Monkey bite

1932

|Bill Pickett

|61 years

|killed by a horse kick

1942

|USS Juneau

|various

|Sharks attacked sinking ship sailors, including remaining Sullivan brothers

1945

|USS Indianapolis

|various

|Hundreds of sharks attacked sinking ship sailors. A few dozen to 150 men were killed

1945

|Battle of Ramree Island

|various

|Number of saltwater crocodiles attacked retreating Japanese soldiers. A few to hundreds were killed

1948

|Grace Olive Wiley

|65 years

|Bitten by a snake

1950

|Kevin Budden

|20 years

|Bitten by a taipan snake

1955

|George Hensley

|74 years

|Bit by a snake

1957

|Karl Patterson Schmidt

|67 years

|Bit by a snake

1975

|Robert Mertens

|81 years

|Bit by a snake

1980

|Azaria Chamberlain {{flagicon|AUS}}

|2 months

|Attacked by a dingo{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |last1=Cunneen |first1=Chris |title=Chamberlain, Azaria Chantel (1980–1980) |id2=chamberlain-azaria-chantel-9719 |access-date=16 October 2019}}

1982

|Jean Batten

|73 years

|Infection from a dog bite

1993

|John Pickard

|80 years

|killed by a bull on his family farm

1994

|Allen Campbell {{flagicon|US}}

|37 years

|Crushed by circus elephant Tyke

1994

|Rick Lomba

|44 years

|Attacked by Bengal Tiger

2001

|Joseph Bruno Slowinski

|38 years

|Bitten by a Suzhen's krait

2001

|Diane Whipple

|33 years

|Attacked by 2 dogs

2001

|Jacky Boxberger

|51 years

|Attacked by an elephant on a safari

2003

|Timothy Treadwell {{flagicon|US}}

|46 years

|Devoured by a bear{{cite web |author1=Katie Serena |title=Timothy Treadwell Devoted His Life To Grizzly Bears — Until They Ate Him |url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/timothy-treadwell |website=All That's Interesting |access-date=17 October 2019 |date=April 13, 2018}}

2003

|Vitaly Nikolayenko {{flagicon|Russia}}

|65 years

|Mauled by a bear{{cite web |author1=Kim Murphy |title=Russian bear researcher dies in apparent mauling |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-01-01-0401010214-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=17 October 2019 |date=January 1, 2004}}

2004

|Boonreung Buachan

|35 years

|Bit by a cobra during a show

2005

|Kenton Joel Carnegie

|22 years

|Killed by wolves

2006

|Richard Root {{flagicon|US}}

|68 years

|Killed by a crocodile

2006

|Steve Irwin {{flagicon|AUS}}

|44 years

|Killed by a stingray during a diving expedition{{cite web |title=Steve Irwin |url=https://www.biography.com/personality/steve-irwin |website=Biography |access-date=17 February 2020 |language=en-us}}

2006

|Ali Khan Samsudin {{flagicon|Malaysia}}

|48 years

|Bitten by a king cobra{{cite web |author1=Sebastien Berger |title=Snake man dies from cobra bite |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1536000/Snake-man-dies-from-cobra-bite.html |website=The Telegraph |access-date=17 October 2019 |date=Dec 4, 2006}}

2007

|Surinder Singh Bajwa {{flagicon|IND}}

|44 years

|Attacked by a group of rhesus macaques at his home and fell from a first-floor balcony

2008

|Stephan Miller

|39 years

|killed by a bear while making a promotional video

2009

|Alexis Martínez

|29 years

|killed by an orca (named Keto) in an aquarium

2009

|Taylor Mitchell {{flagicon|CAN}}

|19 years

|Coyote attack{{cite web |title=Emily Mitchell Commemorates Life of Songbird Daughter |url=http://www.taylormitchell.ca/ |website=Taylor Mitchell |access-date=16 October 2019}}

2010

|Dawn Brancheau {{flagicon|US}}

|40 years

|Killed by orca Tilikum

2011

|Horatio Chapple {{flagicon|UK}}

|17 years{{cite web |author1=Steven Morris |title=Horatio Chapple death: explorers' attempts to fight off polar bear attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/18/horatio-chapple-death-polar-bear-attack |website=The Guardian |access-date=21 October 2019 |date=July 18, 2014}}

|Killed by a polar bear on an Arctic expedition

2011

|Mathieu Schiller

|32 years

|Killed by a shark

2013

|Noah and Connor Barthe

|4 & 6 years

|Strangled by a friend's father's pet African rock python

2014

|Jamie Coots

|42 years

|Bit by a rattlesnake

2015

|Katherine Chappell

|29 years

|Killed by a lioness while visiting a park

2017

|Akbar Salubiro

|25 years

|Killed and swallowed by a reticulated python

See also

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • Anderson, Knenneth, et al., "The Man-Eater of Jowlagiri", from Nine Man-Eaters and One Rogue, 1955
  • Anitei, Stefan. [http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Limits-of-the-Human-Nose-45086.shtml "The Limits of the Human Nose: How much can a human smell?"] Softpedia. 22 January 2007. 17 November 2008.
  • Batin, Christopher. "Bear Attacks!" Outdoor Life 210.6 (2003): 46.
  • Brandt, Anthony. "Attack". Outdoor Life 197.1 (1996): 52.
  • Cardall, Taylor Y. and Peter Rosen. "Grizzly Bear Attack". The Journal of Emergency Medicine 24.3 (2003): 331–333.
  • Driscoll, Jamus. "Bears on the Rampage". Outdoor Life 197.2 (1996): 20.
  • Egerton, L. ed. 2005. Encyclopaedia of Australian wildlife. Reader's Digest {{ISBN|1-876689-34-X}}
  • Fergus, Charles. Wild Guide: Bears. Mechanicsburg, PA; Stackpole Books, 2005.
  • Guo, Shuzhong, et al., "Human facial allotransplantation: a 2-year follow-up study". The Lancet 372.9639 (2008): 631–638.
  • Masterson, Linda. Living with Bears. Masonville, CO; PixyJack Press, LLC, 2006.
  • Linnell, John D.C., et al.,[http://www.nina.no/archive/nina/PppBasePdf/oppdragsmelding/731.pdf The Fear of Wolves – review of wolf attacks on humans]
  • Ward, Paul and Suzanne Kynaston. Wild Bears of the World. United Kingdom: Cassell plc, 1995
  • Whitman, David. "The Return of the Grizzly". Atlantic Monthly 286.3 (2000): 26–31.