So far in 2015, EMS has responded to a wide range of incidents involving injuries from animals. The types of calls vary drastically – from marine mammals to deadly arachnids – and injuries run the gamut from minor to fatal; some are incredibly gruesome and disturbing.
Here’s a look at some recent unusual animal attacks.
1. Fisherman bit and dragged underwater by sea lion
A man posing for a picture with his “trophy fish” was attacked by a 300-pound sea lion, which pulled him off the side of a boat and dragged him 20 feet underwater, almost to the bottom of Mission Bay. The 62-year-old suffered puncture wounds and lacerations to his leg, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
2. Whale slams tourist boat, 1 dead, 2 injured
A 35-year-old Canadian woman died and two others were injured when a gray whale breached and hit the side of a boat carrying tourists on a snorkel tour off the coast of Mexico. The impact tossed a woman into the water; a crew member and a passenger lifted her back onto the vessel and she was taken to a clinic, where she died during treatment.
3. Scorpion stings airplane passenger before takeoff
An Alaska Airlines jetliner had to turn back to the gate before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport after a scorpion stung a woman on the hand. She immediately brushed it off and stepped on it; she also declined additional treatment from paramedics, and did not stay on the flight.
“The woman was a real champ,” said Oregon State University men’s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle, who was on board with members of the team. “She acted like it was a mosquito bite. They got it off her but the needle was stuck.”
4. American gored in bull-running festival
A 20-year-old American man was badly injured during the bull-running festival “Carnaval del Toro in Cuidad Rodrigo, Spain. He suffered a 16-inch goring to the thigh after being repeatedly tossed by the pull and pushed along the ground. He was eventually pulled from the street to safety.
5. Newborn mauled by ferrets, missing part of face
A newborn baby was hospitalized and was missing part of her face after being mauled by three pet ferrets. The attack occurred while the baby was in a car seat and her mother was sleeping upstairs. The police chief on the scene said it one of the worst things he’s seen in his 45 years on the job.