LARGE ANIMAL ATTACKS - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 457

CHAPTER 31
LARGE ANIMAL ATTACKS
James A. Wilkerson, M.D.
Principal Contributors
Attacks by large animals other than dogs are uncommon in North America, at least in com-
parison with Africa or southern Asia. However, a significant number of injuries and a few
deaths are caused by such encounters each year. A number of North American animals may
be encountered in the wilderness:
◆ Bears (black bears, brown bears, and polar bears)
◆ Canines (dogs, coyotes, and wolves)
◆ Bison
◆ Cougars
◆ Alligators
◆ Ungulates (moose, elk, and deer)
Large animals in Europe are similar to large animals in the United States, are limited in
number, and consist mostly of ungulates, rare bears, and rare wolves. In addition, the fol-
lowing large animals may be encountered in Asia and Africa:
◆ Bears (brown bears, pandas, spectacled bears, sloth bears, Asiatic black bears)
◆ Big cats (tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars)
◆ Pachyderms (elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses)
◆ Crocodiles
◆ Cape buffalos
◆ Hyenas
◆ Primates
◆ Kangaroos
LARGE ANIMAL ATTACKS: NORTH AMERICA
Bear Attacks
For years, approximately ten bear attacks on humans and one fatality were reported in
North America—including Canada—each year, but the incidence is increasing, apparently
because more humans are encroaching on bear habitat. Brown bears have been thought to
be responsible for most of the attacks and fatalities, but black bears and occasionally polar
bears also kill humans. In his book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (Guilford,
CT: Lyons Press, 2002), Stephen Herrero reported that during the 1990s twenty-nine people
were killed by bears, an average of three a year. Eighteen were killed by brown bears and