Why Animals Attack

Whether out in the wild or on the city streets, animal attacks happen every single day to all kinds of people. 

Some attacks leave not even a scratch, whereas other attacks from larger animals in a rather aggressive mood can be dangerous and deadly to us. 

This begs the question then: why exactly do animals attack us? 

In today’s post, we’re going to break down the 3 main reasons some animals large and small feel the need to attack us. 

To watch the shocking video version of this post, click HERE now. 

You can also download the pest-free audio-only podcast by clicking on the podcast widget above. 

Reason #1: Feeling Threatened and/or Trapped

One reason some animals choose to attack humans even when it’s likely a losing battle is because they feel “backed into a corner,” threatened, and/or trapped. 

A good example of this would be if some raccoons or small animals infested your attic. 

A non-professional might just try to grab the animals and take them out, but this can actually be dangerous if the animal perceives you as a threat to them. 

How can the animal know that you plan to safely take them out to the wild? 

While stuck in your attic or other place in your home, the animal may feel restricted and trapped, like they have no option for escape. 

This is why it’s important to always provide a wild animal an escape path in the event of a confrontation as to encourage them to take that escape route instead of fighting, which can leave you injured, or worse at risk for contracting a virus like rabies. 

If an animal perceives your intentions as bad and that they have little other options, they will fight ferociously! 

Another thing that could cause an animal to feel unnecessarily threatened is if they are injured or sick. 

For example, have you ever had an injury and had a short temper with people around you while in pain? Wild animals are the same, but they can’t communicate their discontent at you; instead they prefer a bite or a scratch. 

In the case of a rabid animal, they are so sick that they might go crazy and go on an attack rampage! 

Finally, it should go without saying that one engaging in risky behavior such as chasing a wild animal or actively threatening one may be attacked because of how scared the creature is of us. 

Reason #2: Defending The Young

Adding onto the first point, an animal that has created a little home inside of your home or near it will fight extra hard if they have young nearby. 

Even if it is a losing fight, an animal would rather die protecting their young than let you take their young. 

If an animal has young ones in your home, they will fight until the death and likely not take any escape path. In these instances, it’s extra important to call a wildlife expert such as ourselves to deal with the problem! 

This can also be why some people may be “randomly” attacked while out hiking. They might think that a crazy bear or some animal just attacked them, when in reality they were encroaching on territory that had cubs or other young animals. 

Whenever you see baby animals, it’s extremely important to NOT approach them. The mother animal will fight ferociously and be unrelenting. 

Reason #3: Extreme Hunger

Finally, the least common reason an animal might attack a human is because they want to eat us. 

It’s extremely unlikely you would see some small animal like a raccoon engaging in this behavior - this behavior is reserved for larger predators such as bears, crocodiles, alligators, and in some cases packs of wolves! 

This is the least likely cause of an attack, but still it’s possible in cases where creatures are extremely hungry. 

If you are not threatening an animal or near its young, or better yet have backed off from the territory but the creature is still approaching you, then you could be in a situation where the aggressive animal views you as a tasty meal! 

Animals that attack due to hunger are likely experiencing extreme food shortages, and also may be extra aggressive due to other factors such as mating season approaching. It’s not normal for animals to attack humans for food, but it does happen!

The best advice in this situation is dependent only on the type of creature that you are dealing with. 

For example, a human could very easily out-run an alligator on land. However, running from some types of bears might actually trigger their predator instincts and encourage them to attack you. 

In the case of some bears, it’s best to look big, stand your ground while backing away slowly, and not look them in the eyes. 

That being said, even the case of bears is nuanced. The advice for black bears, brown bears, and polar bears are all different, for example. 

It’s a good idea to have a general awareness of the types of creatures that live in your area in case you are to encounter one. 

Someone living in Minnesota wouldn’t need to worry about alligators in a pond like someone in Florida might have to, and someone in Florida wouldn’t have to worry about bears on a nature hike like someone in Alaska would have to. 

Have an awareness of the types of creatures around you and how to deal with each one respectively, as what helps in one situation could harm you in another. 

Wildlife & Pest Infesting Your Home

In most cases, wildlife and pests do NOT want to attack you, but instead are just tending to their own business. Humans are rarely seen as prey, and usually attacked only in defense! 

If you think that you have a wildlife or pest infestation problem, call the experts immediately so that you don’t risk any damage to your home or health. 

We safely and responsibly remove the animals and return them to the wild where they belong whenever possible. 

Give us a call at 855-WILDLIFE or visit www.wildlifexteam.com for more information. 

Thanks for reading! 
-Wildlife x Team International