From getting bitten by a shark to trampled by a 2,000 pound bull, here are 8 tourist
locations with dangerous animals around the world!
Travel at your own risk!
#8 Boa Viagem Beach, Brazil Brazilian beaches are some of the most popular
tourist destinations in the world!!
Boa Viagem Beach is a beach that is located near the city of Recife and is surrounded
by high-rise buildings and a beautiful boardwalk.
So what’s the problem?
Recife has one of the highest shark attack rates in the world.
The water is plagued with tiger sharks and bull sharks, so people are warned to stay
out of the ocean.
Boa Viagem Beach is where most of the attacks have occurred and it is now considered one
of the top 10 most dangerous beaches in the world.
This is a relatively new phenomenon as before the 1990’s there were no reported attacks.
In the 1980’s a large port called Port Suape was built and during the construction they
interrupted the breeding and hunting habitats of many kinds of sharks.
In the past 20 years, there have been almost 60 shark attacks in Recife with a death rate
of 37%.
According to the Florida State Museum of Natural History, this is much higher than the worldwide
shark attack fatality rate which is currently 16%.
This could partially be due to the fact that there are millions of beachgoers and lots
of aggressive sharks sharing the water.
The waters off of Boa Viagem are so dangerous, that lifeguards no longer train there, but
in a swimming pool instead.
They receive special shark attack training and are equipped with an electronic device
called a SharkShield to hopefully deter sharks when they are trying to rescue someone.
Currently the only solution is a program that catches the sharks, tags them with tracking
devices, and releases them far from the shore in an artificial reef.
7.
Le Mat Snake Village, Vietnam This village just outside Hanoi, is famous
for its snake charmers and snake meat.
This place is not for the faint of heart!
Known as “snake village”, tourists can sample a wide variety of snake meat and swallow
the still-beating heart of a cobra.
The most popular snakes are grass snakes and cobras, and tourists go to the snake farms
where they can touch the snakes before eating them.
I’m not sure who is more afraid, the tourist or the snake!!
Legend has it that a snake swallowed a princess while she was on the lake.
Her father, the King, promised to reward anyone who could save her.
A peasant by the name of Le Mat rescued the Princess and the King honored him by giving
him a fortune, and land, naming it after him.
There is yearly festival from March 20th to 24th where villagers organize snake dance
festivals in honor of the hero.
Adventurous tourists will drink the snake blood mixed with rice liquor and cheers.
Bloody Mary herself would probably never drink that!
As you probably know, cobras are extremely venomous and can spit their venom into a victims
eyes, causing blindness.
Most of these snakes are kept in small cages and are extremely agitated before they are
killed making it very dangerous to be near them since they are killed in front of you.
If you are accidentally bitten you must get the antivenom immediately or you can die.
Eating snake can have serious medical consequences, especially if it is consumed immediately and
the place is unhygenic.
The snake meat could easily have parasites, bacteria, and a high presence of heavy metals
that you are consuming which could result in severe illness or disease.
You could be killed by residual venom, or eat a contaminated bone.
The snake’s head can still bite even 20 minutes after being cut off.
Several chefs have died from severed head bites, even though they are used to preparing
snake meat on a daily basis.
Do you still want to try that cobra?
#6 The Sahara Desert Tour The Sahara desert in northern Africa is the
largest, hottest desert in the world.
Even though it is extremely harsh, tourists are flocking to the desert by the thousands
for extreme tourism.
If you have enough water, supplies, and a good guide, you should be completely fine.
But that doesn’t mean you won’t see some of the most dangerous animals on the planet!
There are plenty of snakes and scorpions, including the deathstalker scorpion which
is extremely venomous.
This scorpion is about 4 in (10 cm) in length and usually hides under rocks but can be very
aggressive when threatened.
The sting is extremely painful, but rarely fatal so don’t worry too much!
You should be more worried about the Cape buffalo.
This buffalo's horns have fused bases that create a never-ending shield made of bone
on the top of its head.
This shield is called a "boss".
Over 200 people each year die from being attacked by this 2,000 pound (907 kg) beast in the
Sahara.
They are extremely unpredictable in nature and have never been domesticated.
Their only natural predators are lions and large crocodiles, but even then, they do well
defending themselves.
Many argue that the Cape buffalo is the deadliest animal in Africa, even more so than the crocodile
or the hippo.
#5 Snorkeling with Jellyfish Palau, Micronesia is considered one of the
world’s best dive and snorkel destinations!
From the east coast of the US, it takes about 22 hours to get there!
In the middle of a warm lake, you could swim with millions of golden jellyfish.
While this might sound scary, these jellyfish were cut off from the sea and lost their ability
to sting.
These harmless jellyfish just bob around and feed off algae although more recently it seems
like most of the jellyfish have vanished.
However, regardless of where you go, if you like to snorkel and scuba dive, be very wary
of jellyfish.
Especially in the entire Indo-Pacific region.
To be honest, the chances of being stung by a jellyfish is slim since they don’t generally
go after you to attack.
Those who scuba or snorkel have little to fear from jellyfish if they have a good instructor
and keep their head on straight.
However, there have been…accidents.
Jellyfish stings usually happen because you can’t see them very well.
They can cause skin irritations and blisters in mild cases.
But they can also lead to respiratory problems, cardiac arrest, and sometimes death.
The most dangerous jellyfish in the world is the sea wasp box jellyfish.
SInce 1954, there have been 5,568 recorded deaths.
If stung, you may not last long enough to reach the surface of the water, as their venom
spreads throughout your body in less than five minutes.
Other species of box jellyfish are also deadly and so is the irukandji, which is just the
size of a thumbnail.
So be careful if you are diving off the coast of Australia, Japan, Hawaii, South Africa,
etc. etc.
But you probably already knew that!
#4 Colombia’s Pacific Coast While Colombia has a reputation for being
a dangerous country because of its history of cartels and kidnappings, there are plenty
of natural dangers to be aware of.
As the safety of the country increases, and more scientists and tourists go to the jungle
to explore the rainforest, you have to watch out for one of the most toxic animals on earth.
The golden poison frog measuring only 2 inches long has enough venom to kill 10 grown men
or 2 African bull elephants!
This frog can be found in the rainforests on multiple tourist trails in Colombia and
attractions, specifically Valle del Cauca.
Their skin is heavily coated in an alkaloid toxin.
If it comes into contact with the skin, it can cause paralysis and then heart failure.
This toxin is only found in six creatures in the entire world, three from Colombia and
three from Papua New Guinea.
Oddly enough, dart frogs that are raised in captivity are not nearly as poisonous as those
that are found in the wild.
The Pacific coastal area of Colombia is one of the most biologically diverse areas and
is home to hundreds of sub-species of snakes, including 34 that are only native to Colombia.
There are also many kinds of spiders including the banana spider which is highly toxic.
Soldiers make sure to stretch their socks over the tops of their boots while sleeping
so no critter crawls in.
Also be sure to watch out for other poisonous frogs and scorpions while you are wandering
around! #3 Feeding Crocodiles in Thailand
At the Elephant Kingdom in Chonburi, Thailand, you could stand in a rusty raft cage and feed
crocodiles from flimsy sticks!
The reptiles, which were used for crocodile farming, would leap out of the water and grab
their lunch.
Pictures and video went viral in 2016 and police raided the park and shut it down for
90 days until they could complete their safety checks.
A taxi driver going by the park saw the hundreds of crocodiles surrounding a group of Chinese
tourists on this raft, including children, and he was so shocked that he just had to
take pictures.
When the crocs leapt out of the water, they were just centimeters from the tourists’
arms.
After it went viral, people were either outraged at the lack of safety and teasing of the crocodiles,
while others were trying to see how they could sign up for this!!
Which side are you on??
Let us know in the comments below!!
The owner of Elephant Kingdom insists that it is safe and they never let more than 15
people on the raft.
He claims there have never been any incidents in the 12 years it has been open, and that
people always have a good time.
Despite the consent of the owner as well as the tourists, the site was banned.
The owner has refused to comply with the suspension and last I heard, he was waiting for the Fisheries
Department to give a warning and conduct an inspection.
Thailand has the largest crocodile farming industry in the world and designer brands
source the skins from these kind of farms to make boots and handbags.
This might just be one of the world’s most terrifying tourist attractions!!
#2 New Smyrna Beach, Florida New Smyrna Beach is a beautiful city on the
coast of Florida famous for fishing, boating, sailing, swimming, scuba diving, and surfing.
In fact, it has been rated one of the "best surf towns" in the world!
It’s famous for its warm climate and beautiful water but it also holds the title of “shark
attack capital of the world!”
In 2007, the area had more shark bites than any other region in the world.
The following year, the beach broke its own record with 24 shark bites.
Eight years later, it hadn’t died down.
In fact, on September 18, 2016, in only a few hours, three shark bites occurred.
This is more than most shark-infested areas receive over three years!
Officials have even put up signs that warn tourists, saying “Do Not Swim” at times
or just a simple straightforward “Dangerous Marine Life”.
Thousands of tourists visit the beach every year and it is safe to say that although there
have been a huge number of bites, over 240 recorded, none of them have been fatal.
In Highschool some friends of mine were surfing in St. Augustine and a couple of them were
nipped by some small sharks.
Luckily it wasn’t serious and they just had a couple of scrapes on their arms.
More recently, a man posted a video of a dozen sharks swimming around people in the water
at waist level.
It doesn’t happen all the time, but if you want to swim safely, then New Smyrna Beach
might not be the place for you.
#1 Running of the Bulls, Spain The fiestas of the running of the bulls take
place in Pamplona Spain during San Fermin, which lasts from the 6th to the 14th of July.
While there are many other events that take place, the running of the bulls has become
known worldwide because of the thousands of people who risk their lives each year.
Originally, the events were held to transport bulls outside of city limits.
When this happened, young men would jump in front of them to show their “bravado”.
Now the point is to run in front of the bulls and try not to die!!
Or get trampled!
Or suffocated!
Every year, anywhere between 50 to 100 people are injured during the Bull Run.
In 2013, 50 people were taken to the hospital due to their injuries.
As the festival becomes more and more popular, your chances of getting gored are getting
higher.
How bad is it to get gored?
You’ll probably live but a sharp horn can cause internal injuries several inches deep.
If you get gored by a horn in a vital organ or major artery, you might not make it.
Since 1910, 16 people have died from being gored or from suffocating or getting trampled
on during pile ups of bodies.
The roads are extremely slippery and narrow, and many people, mostly the tourists, have
been out drinking and partying the night before.
Because of these dangers, 200 Red Cross volunteers and 20 ambulances are nearby to take the
injured to the hospital within 10 minutes.
Thanks for watching!