Cattle (cows and bulls) are generally considered the farm animals that kill the most humans annually, particularly in developed nations like the US and UK. They cause roughly 20-22 deaths per year in the US and are the most dangerous large animal in the UK, often causing fatalities through trampling, crushing, or goring, especially when defending calves.
The number one animal killer of humans is the mosquito, responsible for hundreds of thousands to over a million deaths annually by transmitting deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika, and yellow fever. While other animals like snakes, dogs, and freshwater snails also cause significant deaths, mosquitoes far surpass them due to the sheer volume of disease transmission.
The biggest human killer globally is ischemic heart disease, responsible for about 13% of all deaths, followed by stroke, as non-communicable diseases dominate leading causes, though COVID-19 caused a significant number of deaths recently, and historically, plagues and smallpox have been devastating.
Cows grazing in a field seem like the image of tranquillity. However in 2015 the HSE officially declared cows as the most dangerous large animals in the UK with 74 people having been killed by cows in the last 15 years.
Badgers are the UK's largest land predator and are one of the most well-known British species. They are famed for their black and white stripes and sturdy body, using their strong front paws to dig for food and to perfect their hobbit-like burrows, called 'setts'.
A "silent killer" animal can refer to predators using stealth like leopards, owls, and crocodiles, or venomous creatures like the camouflaged stonefish or the cute but toxic slow loris, but the animal causing the most human deaths is the mosquito, spreading diseases silently. Other contenders include venomous marine life like cone snails, highly toxic dart frogs, and even seemingly harmless birds like the territorial Mute Swan.
The saltwater and Nile crocodiles are responsible for more attacks and more deaths than any other wild predator that attacks humans for food. Each year, hundreds of deadly attacks are attributed to the Nile crocodile within sub-Saharan Africa.
So what should you do? Keep calm and carry on? If you find yourself in a field of suddenly wary cattle, move away as carefully and quietly as possible, and if you feel threatened by cattle then let go of your dog's lead and let it run free rather than try to protect it and endanger yourself.
Falls from height were the most common cause of death, followed by incidents involving moving machinery. Agriculture has a fatal injury rate of 8.01 deaths per 100,000 workers – by far the highest of any industry and significantly above the all-industry average.
In terms of the number of humans killed every year, mosquitos by far hold the record, being responsible for between 725,000 and 1,000,000 deaths annually.
According to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) statistics, 22 people in the UK were killed by cows in a 4-year period from 2019 to 2023. A quarter of these were walkers (the majority were farm workers). Most of the walkers had dogs with them, which make cows more aggressive.
Cows are the most dangerous statistically but there are adders and false widow spiders that have a nasty bite. Personally, Midges have been the most dangerous animals I've encountered as they've nearly caused me to lose my mind on several occasions! I was going to say midges, followed by cows.
Be aware that cows are inquisitive creatures and will most likely come towards you to investigate you and your dog. If they are approaching at a leisurely pace they are most likely curious. It can seem intimidating when the cows start to follow you but try to keep a steady pace and remain calm.
The Nile crocodile gets the number one spot because it is the only animal on the list to consider humans a regular part of its diet. It's just as likely to grab a human that strays too close to the water's edge as it would a wildebeest. Hundreds of people are killed by the Nile crocodile every year.
Each year worldwide there are ~ 10 deaths attributable to shark attacks compared with ~ 150 deaths worldwide caused by falling coconuts. More people each year are killed by elephants, crocodiles, bees, and wars and many other dangers that confront us, than by sharks.
