The natural world is full of mysteries, some a bit more dangerous than others. When it comes to wild animals, pretty much nothing is predictable. From angry possums to wild cat attacks, these situations are some of the most extreme and downright insane scenarios people have ever found themselves in with the animal kingdom...
Patience, Young Grasshoper
A college student was walking around on campus when he came across a large grasshopper on the sidewalk...
"I stop a moment and watch him. He just looks at me. I couldn’t physically see his little tiny, microscopic eyes, but I could feel them... He waits until I’m close enough and flies straight into my face. Without thinking I scream, ‘What the [heck], grasshopper!?’ and flail around a bit. I can only assume it made a conscious decision to attack me."
Chimpanzee
While many people don't look at a Chimpanzee and think "danger" these animals are tough and built of pure muscle. One chimpanzee, that lived in confinement, ended up attacking its caregiver. The chimp randomly attacked the woman, biting and tearing at her flesh and nearly killing her. The woman lived, but she had to undergo numerous surgeries to reconstruct and mend the wounds caused by the animal.
A Rare Lion Attack
While North Americans don't exactly have a tangible fear of a wild cat attack, in Africa, this is a much more realistic fear. While filming a movie, actors interacted with trained lions, however, this didn't ensure anyone's safety. This film had so many anuimals attacks that it infamously became the movie known for the most animals attacks on set of all time. It was pure luck that nobody died.
Kissed By A Frog
While frogs are typically slimy little lake-dwellers, one woman had an experience with one that scarred her for life...
"...a frog hopped onto me and wouldn’t get down…onto the hand, up the arm, and then into my hair. Little guy was totally mellow, not panicky at all. But it’s really hard to get a frog out of your hair/off your head when it doesn’t want to leave and you don’t want to injure it. Husband and son were no help at all; all they would do was laugh hysterically and make remarks while I tried to gently de-frog myself."
The "Cobra King"
A man in the Philippines known as the "Cobra King" had a reputation for treating himself after getting a snake bite. Once, when he was removing a cobra from a storage box the snake bit him on the hand. It's reported that he bit the snake's head off, drank its blood, and died minutes later. His failure to seek treatment for the bite ultimately led to his demise.
Elephant Hunt Gone Wrong
A safari leader and big game hunter in Zimbabwe was killed while on a hunt. The hungtin group approached a herd of breeding elephants and three females charged the hunters. The safari leader shot at one of them while another grabbed him and picked him up with her trunk. Another hunter shot at that elephant who fell over, right on top of the safari leader, crushing him to death.
A Curious Bear
This story has been told time and time again—you'd think people would learn their lessons. While camping one night one man felt something poking him on the top of his head, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with a bear. The man's dog woke up and barked viciously at the bear, which fortunately frightened the bear and it ran away. The man knew he and his dog were lucky to be alive.
A Sea Lion Snack
In Vancouver, B.C. a little girl was yanked from a wharf by a passion sea lion. The sea lion grabbed at the hem of her dress and the child fell into the water. Luckily, that was the worst of it, as the sea lion immediately released the little girl and she was rescued seconds later by a man who jumped into the water after her. Onlookers were shocked, but believed that the sea lion had mistaken her skirt for a bit of food.
Three's Company
A husband and wife were hiking when suddenly, the man's appendix burst. While waiting for an ambulance to reach them, they noticed they had company. A mountain lion was watching them. Once the paramedics arrived on the scene, the mountain lion followed them as they carried the man down the mountain on a stretch.
Boa Bites
Firefighters were called to a scene where a Boa had bitten a woman's nose and wrapped itself tightly around her neck in Sheffield, Ohio. The woman struggled with the snake, attempting to remove it herself, but failing. The firefighters couldn't remove hit from her either, so they were forced to decapitate it in order to save her. Biting is pretty uncommon for Boas, but experts believed that it had bitten her simply because she had held it up close to her face.
Jumpin' Monkeys
Monkeys are commonly mischievous little pests in island countries. One such tourist found herself in an odd position while traveling in Gibraltar...
"A monkey jumped on me in Gibraltar. I saw it flying through the air toward me so I bent over at the waist and it landed on my back.. My uncle, whom I had been chatting with when this happened, was able to shoo it off after a few moments of stunned silence, don’t think he could quite believe what he had just seen.”
When Geese Attack...
Geese are pretty fearless creatures, and recently, one biker encountered a flock that pushed him around...
"I was biking to my local library when I saw a small flock of geese ahead by the sidewalk...one started to hiss at me. I ignored it and continued forward, but then the goose got up and flew into my side, knocking me clean off the bike, onto the pavement."
A Tough Fish to Swallow
A fisherman in Bournemouth, England caught a 6" Dover Sole and proudly held it up for a photo. He jokingly tried to kiss the fish, and when he did, it launched itself out of his hands and lodged itself in his throat, getting stuck in his windpipe. The man went into cardiac arrest, and luckily, paramedics arrived in time to extract the fish and restart his heart.
Siberian White Tiger Attack
Siegfried and Roy were huge names in the animal entertainment world. They used unknown methods, presumably positive and negative reinforcement, to train their wild cats, until during one performence, a white tiger turned on Siegfried, grabbing him by the neck, ending the performance in utter horror. He survived the ordeal, but the show came to an end.
Highland Cow Charge
Turns out, these beautiful creatures are pretty aggressive in the wild, just ask this Scottish biker...
"I was cycling up a mountain in the Scottish Highlands (my gran lives there), and as I went round a corner, I came face to face with a huuuuge highland cow which was running down the mountain the opposite way. Instead of jumping off the path I thought the cow would be friendly and edge over to let me by: big mistake… it threw its head as I went by, almost impaling me and throwing me off the path and into a 20ft tumble down the mountain."
Friendly, Neighborhood Trash Panda
Typically, when you see a raccoon in the wild, they're usually chomping on whatever they can get their paws on and minding their own business. But this one raccoon, in particular, was a bit too friendly...
"I was sitting on my deck and talking on the phone...I felt a nudge under my arm similar to what my dog does when she’s trying to get my attention or to lay her head in my lap. I wave her away. Several more nudges later, I give in. I go to pat her head and it’s not my dog; it’s a raccoon. I flipped out, screamed and it ran away. No bites or scratches...”
Backpacking Near Bighorns
The horns on these sheep are no joke. When a group was backpacking near a herd of about 30 bighorn sheep, three males in the herd were not happy to have human guests.
"The switchback on the mountain cut really close to them and 3 males of the group started huffing and stomping their hooves. The moment we turned our backs to them, one started charging us full speed… we ran (maybe not the best idea). It would’ve totally bowled me over and probably a ways down the slope but it decided to bluff."
A Saltwater Snack
Crocodiles are intimidating creatures. The sheer size of their mouths and ALL those teeth are not exactly something you want to see in your everyday travels. One man and his father had a wild encounter with a saltwater crocodile while fishing...
"Big old saltwater croc bit our [boat] while [my dad] was fishing alone. Didn’t fall in, got the motor started, and still managed to reel in the barramundi he had on the line at the time. My old man’s a bit of a legend."
Wild Boar Mama
For one young man, hunting wild boar with his father was a favorite, albeit typically fruitless, pastime, until one day...
"When I was five I lived in Berlin, Germany. I had an obsession with trying to hunt and kill wild boars in the forest so my dad and I would walk around with “spears “ sharpened twigs basically. We never saw any so it wasn’t a huge deal until one day we spooked a mother and her piglets. Next thing my dad sees is me chasing them until the sow stops turns all 200 pounds towards me and stares me down. Luckily my dad scooped me up before I could charge because I was about to. Hindsight 20/20 don’t do that. I would have probably been mauled…”
When Pets Attack
A teenager in Australia was almost killed after being bitten by his pet snake. The snake, an inland taipan, was truly no pet at all, as its venom is designed to be specifically dangerous to mammals. It's so dangerous that it is identified as one of the most deadly snakes in the world. Note to self: don't try to "own" one of them because they might just end up owning you.
Incoming!
Magpies can be quite a nuisance, especially to this young boy who was nearly pecked to death on his way to school...
"I was riding my bike to primary school one day and two streets away out of nowhere I feel the flap of wings on my shoulder and it flys by in front of me. It was quite large, probably an adult and it came back but I saw it and ducked. After that it flew by a few more times (repeatedly actually) and it actually hit me a few times hard and left a few beak dents in my helmet."
Nothing Funny About A Hyena
Hyenas are always the laughable, stupid characters in animated films, but in the wild, they're anything but...
"Two spotted hyenas broke into our camp, killed a few dogs and then went over to a few tents (including mine) and pushed their muzzle through. The most surreal thing about that was, if you know anything about spotted hyenas, they actually make a noise every now and then (or every fucking night) called a “whoop.” It’s insanely loud."
An Angry Wombat
Note to self: don't get too drunk at a wedding in rural Australia...
"I was very drunk at a wedding on a large property in rural NSW...I was alone and suddenly confronted with a wombat. Wombats are massive balls of muscle. Being the drunk idiot I was, I was all like “awww hello me wombat” and began to approach it. The wombat did not like this. It charged me. It was so fast...The little bugger nearly caught me. I sprinted back to the wedding in fear for my life."
Possum Mating Season
When this woman arrived home after a late night at work she felt a breeze rush past her legs as she entered her home...
"...I don’t really pay attention, walk over to my desk, put my keys down and turn the light on. Right when I do so, there are two possums in the act of mating in the middle of my kitchen. They screamed, I screamed and we began the three-hour dance of getting them out of my house. I ended up trapping them in a dog cage and dumping them out in the middle of my backyard.”
Party Pooper
In a hungover daze, this man got quite a scare...
"We were having a party one night and I guess someone forgot to shut the kitchen door...The rubbish bag was underneath the sink and I heard something in it (I was directly over it) and I saw coils within striking distance from a Mozambique spitting cobra."
Elk Bull Gore
In Missouri, a woman was gored by a bull elk while walking past a herd in Lone Elk Park and taking photos. Despite the signs warning people to not get too close, the group approached the herd and a male elk bellowed a warning and began to charge. The elks antler jabbed the woman's arm and she was instantly bleeding on the scene. Here's a note: listed to the warning signs—they're there for a reason.
Shire Stallion Games
A Shire Stallion wanted to play, but the human on the other end of this was no match...
"I got charged by a shire stallion who was in full play mode! Thankfully my horse (who I had a very strong bond with) grabbed my jumper and tucked me behind him whilst he stuck his ears back and reared and struck out as a warning at this shire...The shire ended up skidding past and fly bucking before going off and annoying someone else...The thundering sound of that shire making his way down the field was like something out of Jurassic Park."
Don't Provoke a Bison
While bison are herbivores who don't typically attack humans, at Yellowstone National Park, the park and rec staff have their fair share of bison stories. Typically, humans just get too close to the animals and put them in an uncomfortable position. Last June a woman was gored by a bison for getting too close to the animal. Luckily, the woman survived the attack, but others have not been so lucky.
Golden Eagle Threat
Golden Eagles are one of the most ferocious bird's of prey. Sometimes the birds can mistake humans for prey, and for one woman, this was unfortunately the case. A Golden Eagle swooped down and grabbed a tourist. Luckily, she was with a group of other people who were able to swat the bird away.
Walking You Home
After a man was wandering home from the pub after 1 am, he had a surprising run-in with a kangaroo...
"Was walking back...through a suburban street...Heard thumping noise getting progressively louder. Stopped to look about and a kangaroo landed no more than two feet in front of me, after bounding over the high fence I was walking next to. Scared the sh*t out of me."
Steve and the Stingray
Stingrays aren't typically dangerous to humans. They can sting, but usually it's just uncomfortable for a while and then the pain will dissipate. Unfortunately for one celebrity animal lover, the sting landed right on his heart, and ending his life. Steve Irwin was doing some routine shooting when an aggitated stingray reacted and just so happened to directly hit Steve in the heart.
A Close Encounter
While working in the Amazon, one man was face to face with a Jaguar...
"...we had to sleep in trees during the rainy season...Woke up one night to the sound of my bug netting getting torn. The other rangers had insisted I sleep with my machete in the hammock and I had laughed at them but followed their advice...A Jaguar was pawing at us from the branch above and we held out our machetes to keep it away. We didn’t want to hurt it but we also didn’t want a killing machine dropping into our hammocks. It eventually stalked off after getting its paws pricked a few times."
Facing A Dingo
While camping in Australia, this group came pretty close to a pack of dingos...
"...During the evening we spotted a dingo pretty far across a field, thought it was pretty cool (since we aren’t Australian) but didn’t think much of it...After sundown we heard some movement not too far off, in the same direction of where we saw the dingo. We shined our flashlights out into the field, and saw multiple sets of eyes, glittering, looking our way. We decided to pack up some of the things into our car, and chill out a bit in our tents. They came through our site, and then went on their way. In hindsight, they were more than likely just interested in our food..."
Snaking the Drain
It's not uncommon for snakes to make their way into the plumbing of desert homes when temperatures cool off. Because they're cold-blooded the pipes serve as a bit of insulation, and so these snakes, sometimes venomous, will take refuge in the plumbing or unused vacation homes. Let this be a warning!
Coyote Caution
Because they're not quite as large as other canine species, coyotes don't initially strike people as terribly threatening, but this is where they are misjudged. Last year in Pennsylvania, a woman was mauled by a coyote who was believed to have rabies. The woman was shredded by the coyote's teeth and claws, but she luckily survived.
Don't Mess with Bees
Kids are always curious, but in this case, one little boy was a bit too curious...
"I outran a swarm of bees...I went exploring a lot, it was really cool. I found a bees nest in a huge fallen tree. I had watched a lot of cartoons and wanted to know if the bees would come out in an arrow and get me if I whacked it with a stick. So I did. They did not. I was disappointed and climbed around the fallen tree. The bees do attack, just not immediately. And not in an arrow. In a cloud. Suddenly they were all around me. I sprinted home, about 2k, and if I slowed down the bees caught up. I ran into our yard and shut the gate, thinking I was safe. I wasn’t, obviously and got stung a few times. I deserved it though, don’t go beating up animal homes."
Zookeeper Down
While tiger's are large, ferocious beasts, typically, humans don't really ever come in close contact with them. Zookeeper's, on the other hand, are around these large cats more often. At a Kansas zoo, a keeper was put in danger when a lock mechanism wasn't properly locked and the sumatran tiger lunged at her. Thankfully, she survived the ordeal.
Attack of the Rooster
There's just something about birds that are creepy...
"I was about 3 or 4. My family owned chickens. One of the roosters was a d*ck. Every time we set foot in the yard, it would terrorize us with his large talons and try to peck us. It actually managed to claw my brother up. My dad finally killed that thing. It was the best meal I ever had."
One Angry Walrus
While a walrus doesn't exactly strike most people as threatening, when you threaten a mama walruses babies, she's not afraid to fight back. When an attached inflatable boat on a Navy vessel in Russia sunk, a female walrus felt threatened and attacked the small research boat as if it were some malicious orca. Luckily, no one was on the small boat at the time and so no one was injured.
Gator Huntin'
Florida is full of oddities, and one in particular, is when the hunted decide to fight back. Last year, a man was hunting and got mauled by the very alligator he was hunting. The alligator bit down on his arm and totally destroyed it. The man lost his arm, but he luckily did not lose his life.
Birds of Prey
Geese have a pretty threatening presence, everybody knows that...
"I was just minding my own business, taking a walk while listening to music, when this evil creature decides that I’m its mortal enemy and starts charging me out of nowhere. Thanks to my vigorous training and extensive experience I handled the situation in calm and stoic fashion: By shrieking like a girl and punching the critter on top of its head. And then, not unlike a small child that has just kicked a ball through the neighbor’s window, I panicked and ran away."
Croco-Don't Bite Me Please
Crocodiles are known for their nasty bites, some so severe that people in close proximity have lost limbs. Steve Irwin was a big fan of the creatures, and often made risky choices in their presence. He even brought his small children close to them at times. While they were always safe with Steve around, there was always the possibility of being seriously injured.
Kangaroo Kicks
When one man was feeding a joey some biscuits, its mother was not too thrilled with a human being close to her baby...
"I once got attacked by a kangaroo, I was feeding her Joey some biscuits (normal occurrence where I was living at the time) and didn’t see the mother around at all. Hear this awful growling noise and turn around to see the mother standing up over me and she is pissed! She started kicking me and I just dropped the rest of the biscuits and ran. She chased me about 300 metres back to my unit, and then tried to kick the door down to get me. Would not recommend."
Incoming!
When this squirrel had mistaken a man's leg for a tree, both parties were in for quite a surprise...
"Was on a hike and a young squirrel came rushing out of the bushes, climbed up my leg up to my waist, realized I wasn’t a tree and let out a horrified squeak, then leapt off and ran away. The little [guy] then started swearing at me from a nearby, actual tree."
Hungry Hippos
Hippos are actually extremely vicious creatures. Weighing in anywhere between 3,300-4,500 pounds, they have killed more peoply annually than most other predators in Africa. During a safari boat tour, for example, a woman's canoe capsized and she was pulled under by a hippo. Luckily, the tour guide grabbed her hand just in time and she narrowly escaped a brutal demise.
In the Mountains
When you're out and about exploring the mountains, make sure to always keep your eyes peeled for the most dangerous mountain cat: the mountain lion. An eight-year-old boy had to fight off a mountain lion later last year with a stick. Thankfully, the boy was unharmed due to his quick thinking, or this situation could have ended much worse.
Elephant's Never Forget
Elephants are extremely large, smart, and social creatures. In India, after witnessing a trainer mistreat another elephant, one decided to fight back and get revenge by bulldozing through a crowd. He tossed people like toothpicks in an angry rage. They are gentle giants when treated with respect, but cross them and they will not go kindly.
Killer Whale
Killer Whales were given their moniker because they are true carnivores of the sea. In the documentary Blackfish viewers get a look at the terrors that these creatures endure in SeaWorld's around the country. In captivity, these whales are often depressed an agitated, and have fought back against the trainers many times.
The Box Jellyfish Sting
The Box jellyfish is a silent killer in the sea. They're translucent and measure about 10" in length, and their stings can cause paralysis. A 10-year-old girl in Australia was stung by one which caused horrible scarring and knocked her unconscious. She was rescued in the nick of time but will always have the marks from the horrible encounter.
S'More Bears, Please
Black bears are usually harmless, and overall, just scavengers who frequently make a mess of your trash, at least, this was the case for one man...
"Walking past the slide glass door I notice my dogs are sitting there kinda antsy. So I decide to get ready to let them out. Only, I turn the outside light on and outside was a bear. Just standing there. Holding a bag of marshmallows…looking into our house. Most terrifying moment of my life knowing that bear was only a sheet of glass away from me, taunting me with those marshmallows. Besides internally freaking out, I felt ashamed knowing that I had no graham crackers and chocolate to offer Marshmallow the Bear."
Great White Shark Attack
Great White Sharks are one of the scariest fish in the sea. They are massive in size, measuring about 13 feet long and weighing in at close to a ton. Many people pay to cage dive with these massive creatures for a little adrenaline rush, but there's serious risk involved. One man had a great white swim straight through the steel cage. Fortunately, for him, he kept his calm and escaped through a hatch in the bottom of the cage.
Arctic Carnivores
Travelers in Canada faced off with a polar bear that charged towards them. They fired multiple flares at it to scare it off, but the bear remained in pursuit of them throughout the night. When they slept they were awoken abruptly by screams...
Polar Bear Attack (pt. 2)
The bear was dragging one of the men from his tent by his skull! When the other travelers realized what was happening they chased after the bear and shot flare guns in its direction to scare it off so it would release their friend. Luckily, it let go of the man's head and ran away, and the man lived to tell the wild tale.
A Grizzly Encounter
While most bear in the wild are typically hardlmess to humans, Grizzly Bears are not one to mess with. While other species of bears are primarily omnivores, the Grizzly is a full-blown predator. Park Rangers suggest you immediately leave the area if you spot a Grizzly Bear. When a pair of hikes had a close encounter with a Grizzly, they used their bear spray and took off.
Burning The Bed Bugs
A woman in Cincinnati discovered bed bugs in her home and attempted to kill them with rubbing alcohol. Unfortunately, she also set her home on fire with this flammable substance. Three people were injured in the event and 10 people were left homeless. The lesson here... let the professionals handle extermination jobs.
The Judgmental Moose
One camper had a hilarious run-in with a moose...
"I was camping with my son. We were riding on my quad through the woods. I suddenly have to poop, not able to hold it. I run to the trees and squat. Midway, I hear a snort. I turn my head and there's a moose staring at me right behind me, watching me closely and with interest or disgust."
A Sea Lion Snack
While sea lions aren't typically considered very dangerous, one man might argue otherwise. While swimming across the bay in San Francisco, a man was bitten in the arm by a passing sea lion. He was lucky, though, because a nearby sailboat spotted him in distress and came to his rescue, otherwise, swimming would have been pretty difficult without one of his arms.
Small & Deadly
Spiders are quite tiny usually, but there is just something about the creepy-crawlers that send a chill up most of our spines. The venom of a Black Widow, in particular, can cause muscles spasms and even heart failure. A little girl in Massachusetts was bitten by one, and immediately she was struck with a fever. She was lucky, though, because the spider didn't release enough venom to stop her heart.
A Deep Woods Encounter
Wolves are only typically found in densely wooded areas, so a tourist camping in Banff National Park was camping right in wolf-terrority. A starving, eldlerly wolf attempted to pull a man from his tent one night out of desperation. When he screamed for help, a nearby hiker rushed to him and helped him scare the beast off.
Protecting Their Young
While moose are not known for being vicious, when they feel their young are at risk, they will attack. In Alaska in 2017, a woman was hospitalized after a moose attacked her when she unknowingly approached its calves. Many species, including humans, might have done the same thing, if they felt their children were being threatened.