Do you know which animal is the most dangerous in South Africa?

Ever wonder which animal is the most dangerous to the people of South Africa?

This question might come up for some after 14 lions escaped the Kruger National Park a few weeks ago. 

The question is debatable with answers varying from a lion, crocodile, and even hippos. Netcare’s general manager for emergency, trauma and transplant, Mande Toubkin said, “Animals, and particularly wild animals, act on instinct and can, therefore, be unpredictable by nature. It is therefore important to remember that wild animals, in particular, can be potentially aggressive and even dangerous and that due care should be exercised when around them, no matter their size or apparent temperament.”

Surprisingly data by Medibank which analysed animals attack and bites from 2015 to 2018 on patients who were attended to in 45 emergency departments at Netcare across the country, showed that the animal most responsible for the attacks was the elephant, then snakes and Africa’s largest antelope the eland.

Toubkin said of the results, “We all know to avoid snakes and that elephants can be dangerous when agitated or encountered in the wild. However, the eland came as rather a surprise. During the period under review, a total of 10 patients were assisted at the Netcare emergency departments for elephant attacks, many of which had a high injury severity score, which is an established medical score to assess trauma severity, and which sadly also resulted in some deaths.”

The high number of cases related to attacks by elephants was usually related to trampling their victims and with the elephant populations becoming increasingly stressed due to humans encroaching on their territories, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) noted that encroachment means people are coming closer in contact with elephants.

The Medibank study highlighted that all wild animals, large and small, can potentially behave unpredictably and aggressively in certain situations and may pose a threat to the unwary.

Toubkin added that when in an environment with wild animals it was important to keep a safe distance. “If you visit rivers, lakes or estuaries find out if animals such as crocodiles and hippos are present and if so, maintain a safe distance from riverbanks. ”

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