Australias deadliest animal is the horse

According to a fact sheet released by the National Coronial Information System of Australia in 2020, most animal-related deaths between 2001 until 2017 are caused by horses. This information might go against what one might assume, taking into account the vast amount of dangerous animals, like venomous snakes, crocodiles and sharks.

Most of the casualties caused by horses occurred due to falls, however, only the minority of the reported deaths were not wearing a helmet. 

The second most dangerous animals were cows and bulls, responsible for about 15% of all animal-related deaths. Following closely, dogs ranked as the third deadliest, contributing around 10% of casualties. 

If you guessed that snakes must finally be the next culprit, you’re only partially correct! Venomous snakes share the fourth place with an (for me as an unexperienced Austrian at least) unexpected contender – Kangaroos! Interestingly enough, Kangaroo – related fatalities exclusively involved vehicle collisions, primarily affecting motorcyclists.

Sharks, often feared, where even less likely to kill you in total number than bees, which ranked fifth. Finally, crocodiles occupy the last spot among these mentioned animals. 

Interestingly, men were more than twice as likely to be victims of fatal animal encounters.

Disclaimer:

This statistic is of course to be taken with caution. It only displays absolute numbers, and the relative danger of these animals during encounters and the likelihood of possible fatal outcomes hereafter was not analysed.