this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2024
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I really really hate this narrative. Time and time again people tell me they would love to come to Australia but it's too dangerous.
This isn't a dangerous place, most of our wildlife is harmless and/or actively avoids people. It makes me so damn sad every time another friend tells me how deadly my home is, and even worse they refuse to listen to people who actually live here because they've been told Australia is dangerous their whole life.
Wait, people actually avoid Australia because of it? I mean, I do think of Australian wildlife as dangerous, but to me that means "don't fuck about" rather than "don't go at all". And I live in the UK, where we killed everything that was even slightly dangerous to humans long ago
Basically no Australian wildlife can or will seriously hurt you. There are some snakes which if you try really hard you might run into (for reference I've had 2 encounters with dangerous snakes in my life), a couple of spiders one of which is extremely common but not at all aggressive and does not roam, kangaroos if you hit them with your car you will be fucked up, emus and cassowaries if you go where they are and try really hard to make them angry, crocs up north if you approach them can be dangerous, box jellies up north will kill you if you swim when they're about, dingoes in the centre are wild dogs so if they're hungry they could harm you.
you can go bush walking with no plan and just some water. Wander off the track all day, and your biggest danger is getting lost. Avoid that and it's dehydration or falls. If you stick your hands into dark crevices and overturn bark and stuff I guess spiders and snakes?
Starts with NO wildlife will kill you, describes all the ones that can ;)
It is like Canada, we have Bears, Wolves, Moose and Polar Bears, etc.
Stay out of their way and you will be fine, they aren't actively scouting homes to kill people.
I keep seeing big cats in people's yards in NA.