When you think of dangerous game, do you automatically think of the Big 5 + Hippo?

I saw a movie where a huge male lion cornered a sable, and when it attacked, the sable lowered it's head and sheeshkebobed the lion, which ran about 30 yards and died.

When I shot my bushbuck, my PH told me they were very dangerous when wounded. I've heard gemsbok can be dangerous too.


Jeff

Sable, gemsbok and bushbuck can be nasty characters.

When I went bushbuck hunting one afternoon my PH stepped away from the vehicle without his rifle (we were in a non DG area). I told him he may want to take it along as if I wound a bushbuck I would hand him my rifle and wish him luck. He took his rifle along.

I've also heard roan can be tough customers. I'd always read the same about bushbuck, but my PH and trackers walked right up to mine in thick cover.

The bottom line is that most any animal can defend itself when it has to. Some species resort to defence rather than flight more easily than others.

I had a client "attacted" by a wounded rabbit and Jeff Foxworthy tells a great story about someone mauled by a beaver (insert your own joke HERE).

Kyler

Once in a great while you will run across a lion skull. They don't win them all. Buffalo? Sable? Hyena? Who knows.

Jeff,

Man/Magnum magazine has published the numbers several times on Africa's dangerous animals.

Number one killker in number of deaths is the mosquito that carries malaria.

The biggest large animal killer again in number of deaths in the hippo.

For me I count the Big Five as dangerous game. There are also a lot of ways in the bush to maybe get into trouble, but the 5 are certainly good for a dose.

jim

The female of the species homo sapiens. Known to cause more grief than any other mammal.

Safari Club has a category called the Dangerous Seven that includes the Big 5 + Hippo and Croc. On the other hand, if you make the mistake of nodding off around a campfire in the open, hyena will take a large bite out of you in your sleep. Yes, bushbuck have killed hunters as have the other antelope mentioned and zebra have a nasty reputation as well. Want to add cobras and pythons?

I never heard of a Python killing anybody, except in the movies! How about a Black Mamba

If a python killed a human being, it'd eat him and how would anyone find out?

Why do I think of African people, like Mugabe, customs officials, and government employees,when people ask this question?
Poachers, also you have Bull and Great White Sharks in and around africa. Bull sharks go up rivers and eat people.

Don't feed the animals...

s
PS: who had the picture on someone's concession, of a long horned little antelope, something with four letters, that would skewer you if you weren't careful? It was sort of like the properties watchlope...

The short answer is any animal, not just the Big Five.

I have seen people with very bad wounds caused by all sorts of animals, including warthogs, impala and even a duiker.

These are not liley to hurt you, of course, as one of the Big Five might.

I hunted with a PH in South Africa who had a very bad wound caused by a blue wildebeest.

I personally have had a run with two raccoons, and ended up with about 57 bites!

Saeed: aren't those your two pets that didn't want you to leave? Have you ever considered taking them out of the cage, and let them run around the house?

My cat has sort of the same instincts, but, we spend as much time with her as we can, and she gets a better attitude.

Babies just want to be part of the family...

On the otherhand, clipping claws is a good idea.

My cat likes to come up to me when I'm ignoring her, put her paws on my legs, and, if she has needle claws, slowly stick them into my thigh, until she gets a reaction...

s

As Saeed said any game can be dangerous, God knows how many cuts have been caused by flailing hoofs of a stunned antelope. As for gemsbok/bushbuck/sable, their pugnacity seems to pose problems in far fewer cases than members of the big 5. People shoot 100s of gemsbok/bushbuck every season without a similar incident, but most PHs with 100s of buff/elephant to their credit have SOME kind of experience with imminent danger.

Over fourty years of hunting have told me that ANY game can be dangerous!
And if it is equipped with sharp teeth, claws or horns, or if it is heavy enough, then it can be DEADLY DANGEROUS.

B.Martins

Saeed said:

Quote:

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I personally have had a run with two raccoons, and ended up with about 57 bites!

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For crying out loud, Saeed!
How long does it take for you to let go of a raccoon?



Rick.

They are our pet raccoons, and we just moved them out of the house into a cage big cage outside.

They are very attached to me, and would not let me out of the cage.

Several times, I tried to get out without one or the other hanging on to, but that was not possible. After a few attempts, one decided to bite me in the leg - I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. As soon as I got him off me, the other one attacked.

This went on for only a few seconds, but was long enough for me to be covered in blood from wounds in my legs and my arms.

My little finger was almost cut of in the middle, and one bite in my palm went all the way to the bone.

Raccoons are adorable as babies but when they grow up, they get aggressive. I never figured that they made good pets, at all, having read Rascal in elementary school but then, considering the zoo you have around the house, what's a raccoon or two?

I have a good receipt for coon and cat. That would be my answer. Like the man said to order Chinese just say "Here Kitty, Kitty."

As b.martins posted...

Anything that can defend itself can be potentially dangerous to us. They are here for our use and consumption, but they don't have to like it!

Since before I went to school as a child I was messing with critters, getting bit, clawed, chased, runned over and taught the hard facts of life. After 43+ years (I'm 50) of this type of interaction, I truly believe that any creature can put some kind of hurt on you if need be.

However, some are more prone to killing you than others. A hard kick from a trained horse can kill you dead, but a wild buffalo or ox seems to enjoy the thought.

It all boils down to statistics: The top 7 killers of human beings in Africa are considered true dangerous game. Here in North America we have our own list, bears are high up there.

But having said all that, don't turn you back on any wounded animal whether small or big game...

Saeed:
Why did you kick them out of the house?
Into a cage? Cruel and unusual punishment. Course you could have put them in with Walter. That would have been much worse.

s

See Above!!!

As a young kid, I believed that only the big 5 was dangerous, then the bushbuck got added to my list after an experience that left a tracker dead. As I acquired a little more gray matter and experience, I came to agree with those posters saying that any animal is dangerous. I�ve personally been �disciplined� by a blue wildebeest, know of a girl that has been killed by a blesbok, and recently an elderly fella that was killed by an eland. Stories have also been told about serious injuries inflicted by species such as steenbok and springbok.

You can only die once � it�s better not to screw with any animal. Can you imaging the shame of entering eternity with a tombstone inscription that read: �Killed by a steenbok�?