What are the odds?
Published: Sun, Jul. 08, 2007 12:00AM
Modified Sun, Jul. 08, 2007 02:06AM
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Between 1990 and 2006, 17 adults and children in the United States were fatally mauled by captive big cats, according to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Web site. According to Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership, an animal owners' rights group, your lifetime odds of getting killed by a big cat is 1 in 4,000,000. You're more likely to meet a pit bull or a bee.
More Sunday Focus
The National Safety Council listed these animal-related accidental deaths for 2003, the latest year available, and lifetime odds of dying these ways:
32
Bitten or struck by dog; lifetime odds, 1 in 117,127
78
Bitten or struck by other mammals (including horses and cattle); lifetime odds, 1 in 48,052
2
Contact with venomous snakes and lizards; lifetime odds, 1 in 1,874,034
66
Contact with hornets, wasps and bees; lifetime odds, 1 in 56,789
101
Animal rider or occupant of animal-drawn vehicle; lifetime odds, 1 in 37,110
Other causes of accidental death in 2003
3,306
Accidental drowning; lifetime odds, 1 in 1,134
15,797
Car accident; lifetime odds, 1 in 237
1,588
Falling from stairs and steps; lifetime odds, 1 in 2,360
11,920
Assault by firearm; lifetime odds, 1 in 314
47
Struck by lightning; lifetime odds, 1 in 79,746
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