What is the most dangerous animal in Australia?
We have been in Australia for 40 days now, with about 25 of those being on the road, driving Overland. Driving long distances and camping every night brings us into close proximity with the local wildlife, which can be both exhilarating and scary, at the same time. What animal would you guess to be the most dangerous if you were thinking about Australia?
Maybe you guessed snakes, or perhaps crocodiles? Spiders? Maybe you've seen our video of the wild dingo snatching our mascot Duckie on Facebook, and you decided it had to be the infamous dingo.
Well, from our experience we vote for .... cattle. Yes, you heard right, we think that the most scary and dangerous animal in Australia has to be the doe-eyed cow. Why on earth would we pick the cow over all of the venomous and dangerous creatures in this country? Here are our top reasons why.
1. They are Yuuuge. They have Brahma cattle here, and literally we've seen some that are as big as Reggie, and probably weigh more - they look like a tank.
2. Scary warning signs are posted everywhere that show a cow and a vehicle having a bit of a tussle. The sign shows the cow as bigger than the car, with all 4 feet firmly planted on the ground, while the car is tipping over and has a cracked windshield. So instead of cow tipping in the US, here it would be car tipping. 😂
3. They are expected yet unexpected at the same time. You see the signs about stock wandering the roads, but when you hear rustling in the night you start wondering if you're about to be attacked by dingos, and then you flip on the torch and voila, a cow who can almost look into the rooftop tent is staring at you.
4. They can be surprisingly stealthy. I'm still not sure how they do it, now that we've heard little wallabies thrashing about in the undergrowth like a herd of buffalo, but cattle can literally sneak up on you. You look at your campsite, turn to pick up your water bottle, and turn back to find 3 cows standing there. You freeze, they freeze, and suddenly they're acting like you've pulled a gun on them and they're madly fleeing in all directions.
In conclusion, up to this point in our travels around Australia, we are more wary of cattle than any other animal here. That may change in the future, but that's our current mindset. Please follow us on Facebook (Reggie Rover), Instagram (planet_overland), Twitter (planet_overland), and YouTube (planet_overland) - we'd love for you to join our adventures!!!
