Are you actually serious??? Rare yes but attacks definitely occur. But my point in the context was that I would sooner be wary of an animal attack than a human attack on the trail which is far rarer. And I never ever even intimated that a hiking stick is an effective defense, I just said it was better than absolutely nothing as a last resort by poking or jabbing to provide distance between me and the animal.

There are a number of cited wolf kills in Canada but only one documented, 2005 north Sask - a pack killed a student away from the village of Points North; 2009 Nova Scotia, a interbred wolf/coyote pack killed a young gal out for a hike; 2000, my brother escaped a wolf pack while making his way back to his truck after a deer hunt.... the closest I've been to a lone wolf was about 25 feet away from my shelter (Vancouver Island).
Elk are the most dangerous animal during rut, if you think not, talk a walk in the woods in late September/October in Jasper Nat Park. Yearly incidents, sometimes on the golf course!
I had a cousin mauled by a sow grizzly a number of years ago and if weren't for passing motorists she would not have survived (North Vancouver).
A few years ago in Cypress Hills, I walked along a trail and remarked to myself "what a perfect habitat for cougar" not knowing that only a couple weeks before a cougar was shot on that very spot after scaring other hikers.
I was stalked by a female elk in Kananskis and it came within 15 feet of me before I gained the high ground and "menaced" (I didn't have a hiking staff at the time), this was on the same area where there were 4 grizzlies were known to habituate. I luckily missed a multiple grizzly attack just outside Yellowstone by only a couple of weeks at Soda Butte campground that I stayed at in 2010.
Came within 100 ft of a huge male elk just before rut season, my golfing partners were scared s***less.
I came face to face with a coyote protecting its fresh kill a couple of years ago in a surprise encounter (Grasslands Nat Park). It was seriously debating whether to defend it for flight. Thankfully he chose flight even though it had the high ground. And I know better than to get close to the free range bison in the park.
Deer, I haven't had an encounter but here is a provoked attack - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khKrd1RNy2U

Like I said, RARE but not unlikely for anyone spending time in the backcountry. If you have never heard of wolves, coyotes, elk or deer actually hurting anyone in all my travels, well then I must say [edited for content]. Get out more. Bear attacks are actually more rare than attacks from these animals.

You are right about bees, spiders and other insects, though. Statistically, they are the most likely cause of injuries or even death especially if you sensitive to the venom.