Beware of Bambi!

Sharks get the headlines lately, but Bambi is the real killer. A few weeks ago I think we had 4 shark attacks in one week in CA. Everyone is becoming "Jaws Phobic" when swimming. However, we are much more likely to be killed by deer, bees, dogs and snakes than by sharks.

I would add mosquitos to that mix. West Nile Virus has struck recently even here in our fair city. I've checked my vast estate for standing water ie. bases of flower pots, bird baths etc. I know of one couple who were buying a home from me who had dealt with this deadly virus.

An article in a recent, local newspaper cited the International Shark Attack File, a database collected by a Florida museum of Natural History, it said that sharks attack a minuscule number of people each year compared to those who die in vehicular collisions with deer. An average of of 130 car-deer collisions a year are fatal while only 11 were killed by sharks from 1990 to 2004. Wasps and bees kill nearly 50 people a year in the U.S. alone.

The months from May to September are high time for insect-inflicted death, said Dr. Julie Gilchrist of the CDC's Injury Center. Deadly deer encounters peak in spring...probably due to "deer love". Yes, I'm sure it affects animals too. We lost our beloved "butchie" from our back yard in pursuit of a "bitch". One of the hardest things to have to do, lift a beloved dog off the street.

We don't have too many deer around here. But mountain vacations are beckoning. Watch for those signs, you know, the "Darting Deer". They are easy to distinguish from the Indian signs, "Falling Rock" and "Soft Shoulder". One of my Indian Guide names was "Crashing Boar"...now you know why. Bob