Snakes
Spiders and Sharks
The cast
of Australian Nasties!
Whether
you live in Australia or are just visiting you know they are out
there. Under rocks, under floors and under water. The underworld
of the Australian Nasties is known and feared throughout the globe.
Things that bite, nip and sting are out there just waiting to pounce.
All they need is a victim. The graveyards of Australia are full
of them...with out wishing to offend - boulderdash!
Excerpt
from "Australian Snakes, Sharks and Spiders and what to do
if you meet one" from Sydney100.com:
"The
Facts
So what are the risks? Here are the stats:
Human Deaths in Australia Between 1980-1990, Inclusive (from
Stevens & Paxton, 1992)
Cause
of Death |
Total
Deaths |
Average
per year |
Crocodile
Attacks |
8 |
0.7 |
Shark
Attacks |
11 |
1.0 |
Lightning
Strikes |
19 |
1.7 |
Bee
Stings |
20 |
1.8 |
Scuba
Diving Accidents |
88 |
8.0 |
Drownings/Submersions
|
3,367 |
306 |
Motor
Vehicle Accidents |
32,772 |
2,979 |
No deaths
by Spider bites?
In Australia,
only male Sydney Funnel Web Spiders and Redback Spiders have caused
human deaths, but none have occurred since anti venoms were made
available in 1981. Each year in Australia as many as 4,000 people
are bitten. Of these 200 require anti venom treatment and one
bite was fatal.
No deaths from Snake
bites?
Less than
eight presumably. You should also bear in mind that some of the
snake attacks would be of people who handle snakes, keep them
as pets or other wise live in close proximity to the beasties.
In the extremely unlikely event you are bitten or witness someone
else being bitten, do not try to attack the snake as it moves
faster then you do and will probably have another go. More people
die worrying about snakes (‘I think I saw a snake’,
heartache –thud) than actually get bitten by them - just
a thought.
Alien Abductions
There are
few stats on this one but if you do get abducted at least let
them know you are on holiday. There are no space tours that I’m
aware of and potential for great photography should not be squandered.
What should you do
if you witness a Snake, Spider or Shark attack?
- you'll
have to go to
Sydney100.com to find out.
Spider Bites
Of the three
nasties mentioned you are most likely to see a Spider. A more recent
study on Spider Bites had the following results:
Sample
Size
Overall,
there were 750 people with definite spider bites where the spiders
were immediately collected and expertly identified.
Did they
all die a horrible death?
Significant effects occurred
in 44 bites (6%) including 37 (of 56) redback spider bites (Latrodectus
hasselti)
 The
bad boy of the Spider World - The Evil Red Back Spider!
with significant
pain lasting >24 h. Of these, only 6 (11%) received antivenom.
One severe neurotoxic envenoming by an Australian funnelweb spider
required antivenom.
Conclusion
Australian spider bite
caused minor effects in most cases....
http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/95/11/723
and in the
rest, nobody died.
Take Care
Just as you look both
ways crossing the road or take care driving your car (hopefully)
so you should apply caution when in any environment you are unfamiliar
with. That said, you are far more likely to come to harm from the
crossing the road or driving than anything Australia's cast of Nasties
can dish out. So please - take care on the roads and stop worrying
about the Nasties.
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