Losses:
AUS: 10,000 rounds. Dignity.
EMU: 12+ birds
I'd say that's a victory. They are australian wildlife after all.
Hope you guys know how exaggerated the deaths from Australian wilflife are:
Now let’s really get serious. Fear of Australia’s creatures shouldn’t even be a consideration. Let’s look at the facts.
Snakes: With 41 recorded deaths between 1980 and 2009, snake deaths in Australia average out at less than two per year.
Spiders: Nobody in Australia has died from a spider bite since 1979 after the successful introduction of antivenom for all native species.
Sharks*: Accounted for 25 deaths between 2000 and (March) 2012 in Australia, about 2 a year.
Crocodiles: Historically, crocodiles account for less than one death per year here in Australia, although that is increasing slightly as the crocodile population rises following the ban on crocodile hunting in 1971.
Blue Ringed Octopus: Just 3 recorded deaths in the last century.
Stonefish: One unconfirmed death by stonefish in 1915.
Cone Snails: I could find no recorded deaths from cone snails in Australia whatsoever.
Killer Jellyfish: Jellyfish account for (at time of writing) 66 deaths since records began in 1883. The box jellyfish was responsible for 64 deaths, and the Irukandji the other two. It sounds a lot, but still less than one death per year, more like just half a death per year.
* Updated 5.4.12. with latest shark death figures.
There, I think I’ve covered them all. Equalising it out, Australia’s dangerous creatures kill about five people a year.
If I’ve missed anything out, got anything wrong, or if anyone has an update on these figures, please do comment below.
Australia’s worst killers!
Here in Australia, about 20 people a year die from horse riding accidents.
Around 10 people per year in Australia die from European Honey Bee stings after going into anaphylactic shock.
And around 300 people a year drown.
Drowning is a big unknown killer just about everywhere, and through my readings of history I've discovered that a surprising number of kings have died in horse riding accidents.
"The king is dead, long live the king."
"Ooh, king's dead is 'e? What got the old bastard this time?"
"The official story is that a great prophet of yore came from on high and rose him aloft to a heavenly perch."
"HA! An' what's the real story?"
"His horse reared and he was launched over that ridge over there."
"Well, long live tha' king an' all that."