A worthwhile question is "What causes fatalities in the out doors?" Snakes, bears, and other critters are way down the list. I understand that the honeybee is the number one killer - animal division- in the USA year after year.<br><br>In my experience, doing mountain and desert SAR in the Tucson, AZ area for several years, by far the leading cause of death and injury was falling, followed by drowning, and then cold and heat, which were just about equal and relatively minor. From 1959 to 1985, SAR never handled a case of snakebite, nor can I remember any incidents involving animal life. I believe that there was a death from a black bear (!) some years ago on Mt. Lemmon, so it can happen, but the statistical risk is very small.<br><br>Similarly, there is the perception that sharks are a serious threat to SCUBA divers, when in fact nearly all SCUBA fatalities result from other mechanisms, even at Channel Islands National Park, where we actually did suffer a shark fatality a few years ago.<br><br>Death by animal is just so spectacular that it crowds out the more numerous routine incidents that are actually injuring and killing folks.