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African fatality debate
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by ianb on May 22, 2006
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I was having a debate with a friend the other night over which animal causes the most fatalities in Africa. I would imagine in certain areas hippos and crocs go back and forth. I would also think these fatalities would be documented fairly well. On the other hand I would think snakes would kill far more people especially the saw scaled viper. I would also assume many of these fatalities would go undocumented. Most info on the web is very inconsistent and leans towards hippo and crocs as causing the most fatalities but I'm not finding any real stats. Any help or references would be appreciated.
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RE: African fatality debate
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by Chris_Harper on May 22, 2006
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These are all general numbers, but mosquitoes kill about 3,000,000 people a year worldwide as a disease vector, hippos and crocs in Africa both about a thousand a year each. The Puff adder and Sawscaled viper are the top 2 contenders for snake related deaths in Africa, with some experts claiming as many as 40,000 - 50,000 deaths per year on the continent from snakebite. Exact numbers are hard to gather in 3rd world countries.
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RE: African fatality debate
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by ianb on May 22, 2006
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That is pretty much what I suspected. I knew Puff Adders killed a lot, but I didn't even consider them compared to saw scaled vipers. I guess they both have a pretty large foot print and are aggressive. Then when you add every cobra, mamba, and addition vipers, boomslang etc. it probably adds up to quite a bit.
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RE: African fatality debate
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by GREGLONGHURST on May 22, 2006
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Not sure where they rank compared to all animals, though I suspect it is high, especially for vertebrates, but I have always been of the understanding that Bitis arietans kills more people in Africa than any other snake.
~~Greg~~
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RE: African fatality
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by Buzztail1 on May 22, 2006
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One of my favorite quotes:
"Despite their placid, cow-like appearance, Cape buffalo (according to some) are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other large animal (though some say that hippos are the most dangerous while others argue for crocodiles)."
It can be found at this site:
http://www.on-the-matrix.com/africa/buffalo.asp
Karl
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RE: African fatality
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by Chris_Harper on May 22, 2006
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According to the World Health Organization, venomous snakes kill more people than any other vertebrate on the planet - about 125,000 people a year worldwide.
Yes, the Puff Adder is number one in Africa. Incredibly, very few people mention the Indian species that kill about 50,000 people a year - the Russell's viper, the Krait and the Spectacled cobra. Here's an odd fact: although the Sawscaled viper does occur in Sri Lanka, it has never officially caused a death (Anslem de Silva, pers.comm. Jan 2006).
CH
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