It’s no secret that agriculture is a dangerous industry. Globally, at least 170,000 agriculture workers are fatally injured yearly, while nationally, 60 to 70 per 100,000 farmers are killed annually. But what about injuries and deaths related to farm animals?
While there is no centralized data for the number of people who are killed by farm and ranch animals — either in the United States or globally — various organizations touch on the risks farmers and ranchers face. Cows get a lot of press with the often-repeated statistic that they kill more people yearly than sharks, but animal agriculture comes with risks at all levels.
Your chances of being killed by a chicken are low. But, never zero.
The leading cause of chicken-related deaths is foodborne illness. According to the Center for Disease Control, about 1.35 million cases of salmonellosis, with 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths, are reported annually in the U.S.
Last year, outbreaks linked to contact with backyard poultry led to 219 illnesses reported in 38 states.
But, it’s not just poultry afterlife that holds risk. In 2011, a California man was stabbed at a cockfight in Tulare County. Also, an Irish man with a heart condition reportedly died after being mauled by a Brahma chicken living on his property.
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Pigs will eat anything — people notwithstanding.
There’s a particular element of danger involved in raising large, omnivorous mammals. When it comes to pigs, pig bites are infrequently described as a consequence of human-animal conflict, but fatal attacks by domestic pigs are rare.
The National Library of Medicine notes several domestic pig-related injuries. In Hong Kong, CBS News reported a 61-year-old butcher who was pronounced dead after being knocked to the ground by a pig he was trying to butcher, and sustaining a wound from a meat cleaver last year.
In 2021, The Guardian published an article about Terry Vance Garner, a 69-year-old Oregon man who never returned from feeding his pigs. All that was found several hours later were his dentures and body pieces.
The incident is reminiscent of the creepy bad guy Brick Top in the 2000 Guy Richie film, Snatch. He famously says: “You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute.”
Yeah, shivers.
Gentle as a lamb? Not always.
While sheep certainly don’t evoke violent thoughts in most of us, sheep will attack humans. While sheep are generally docile, non-aggressive animals, rams during breeding season can be protective. And even a protective ewe has been known to deal dangerous blows using their heads.
During a 20-year study published in the Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, a 29-year-old sheerer was killed when a sheep kicked electric sheers into his neck. Elsewhere, a 66-year-old sheerer fell victim to cardiac disease while sheering, and a 45-year-old motorcyclist died after colliding with a sheep.
Kim Taylor, a 73-year-old volunteer at a therapy farm in Massachusetts, passed away after being repeatedly rammed by a sheep used in mental health therapies. According to The New York Times, Taylor went into cardiac arrest following severe injuries sustained during the 2021 attack.
Horses kill more people in Australia than venomous animals.
If you’ve spent time around horses, you’re probably aware that the dangers extend past simply participating in dangerous equine sports to hooves made for kicking and striking and teeth for biting. And, while the number of people killed in horse accidents has dwindled since the time of the horse and buggy, equestrian injuries rank similarly to those from downhill skiing, baseball, and karate.
In a 2021 Ohio State University list of statistics, 43 people were killed by horses between 1993 and 2004.
The University of Melbourne’s Dr. Ronelle Welton also reportedly examined hospital data and coronial records between 2000 and 2013 and found that horses were responsible for 74 deaths — more than those caused by all venomous snakes in Australia. And just for context, Australia is home to 21 of the world’s 25 deadliest snakes.
Earlier in 2023, a 15-year-old equestrian, Hannah Serfass passed away in a widely reported and tragic horse-riding accident during an event in Venice.
Regarding cattle, they often make ‘deadliest animal’ lists.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cattle are responsible for killing around 20 people annually in the United States.
Aside from farmers being attacked and severely injured by bulls and protective cows, joggers and dog walkers have recently made headlines during cow attacks in the U.S. and the U.K.
Among the more recent incidents, the Dyfed-Powys Police in England reported a Welshpool woman died while walking her dogs along a pathway near about 40 cows.
A dog walker from Northern Ireland told the BBC that she was trampled by a herd of cattle and suffered “life-changing injuries.”
And if you’re still wondering, technically, cattle are more deadly than sharks, with sharks killing about ten people globally each year.
