What is the most painful animal encounter that you’ve experienced?
My encounter of the blue kind took place in December 2005. I went swimming in the ocean. At that time of year, the Portuguese Man o’ War locally known as ‘blue bottles’ rode the tide into Margate Main beach. They were brought in by a North Easterly wind.
Now let me tell you, there’s no pain in the world that’s worse than a blue bottle sting. It’s tentacles got me clean across my entire back. Nothing I had ever experienced could compare to that excruciating pain. My dad was pretty worried because he knew that I have a high pain threshold. I was paralysed on the picnic blanket for 2-3 hours before I could move. Crying like a baby. Later I saw the size of the demon that stung me. That entity was huge. I included a picture of the monster below.
What has been your most painful encounter with an animal?
Yes, I was also bitten by a German Shepherd. I arrived at my cousin’s house on New Year’s Eve, The family had left to go to the pub with the granny left it home - plus that bloody great dog. It grabbed me in the privates. Her name was Lady…
I was bitten by a Dachshund, my fault, but it also bit the old man, and on the face of it, he did nothing to attract such attention, the dog must have sensed something.
Being savaged on the hand/wrist, by a feral kitten while helping the farmer’s wife to put it in a cage. I had to go to the surgery for an anti tet shot, the nurse did the jab but didn’t like the look of it & called the Doc to see it, he gave me AB’s. I know never to go near a feral cat/kitten without gloves now.
Unlike Africa, Europe and the Americas, we have no particularly dangerous land mammals in Australia. An angry adult kangaroo can kill you with one well placed swipe of that strong heavy tail and it can disembowel you with those sharp claws. But it will only do that if you try to hurt it’s joey or antagonise it for fun. In which case you probably deserve it. Otherwise no problem. But we make up for it one hundred fold by what is in the ocean and the reptilian and insect creatures that live in both the city and the outback and everywhere in between. I am lucky. I’ve never been bitten by a Taipan or a funnel web spider. Otherwise in the case of the former I wouldn’t be here talking to you. I’ve come face to face with sharks but they chose not to pick on me. Never been stung by an Irukandji. So, still here. But I have had some painful bites. Red back spiders leave their mark. Extremely painful but rarely fatal. The very worst pain I have felt from a bite was from a bush scorpion. Only small. About 6 cm long. Steel grey colour. I was stung on the little finger while lifting a brick. I felt nothing at first. But after a minute or two I felt like my whole hand was on fire. Then after another minute I passed out. The infoprmation line said I would be OK as long as there were no allergic reactions. There wasn’t. But I had to just fight through the pain and that it would ease ina day or two…Whaa!!?..So I drank several cans of beer, took a variety of other drugs…legal and otherwise. Until I passed out again. The pain lasted three days before it settled. That tiny little part of my finger is still numb to this day. THat happened over thirty years ago.
I have had quite a few interesting encounters, but the one that is most memorable was the time a dinner-sized jellyfish plastered itself across my face when I fell of my surfboard. I’ll never forget the feeling as I tugged the giant sucking thing away. I think it was as shocked and grossed out as I was.
I was once bitten by a horse as I did up its rugs .
Luckily it was winter and I was well padded up otherwise it would have broken my arm as it was I was hurting for days .
Have been thrown off many times and kicked a couple . Horses are big powerful animals but I love them .
I once got bit by a big African Grey Parrot, my Neighbour had an Avery and asked if I would come with her to this Bird place to buy some more Birds for her Avery, and I have a habit of sticking my fingers in cages and this particular day this Parrot got me and I couldn’t get my finger out and had to ask for help, Staff came and opened up the Cage and had to prize open the Birds beak to get my flat finger out.
One of our Schnauzers Ross, a champion stud dogs managed to scale a 6 foot fence to reach another champion stud dog Bobby and my 16 year old instinct was to pick up the smallest dog and remove it .
In the process my hand was badly torn and I had to go to hospital for stitches and a tetanus injection .
In a similar situation now I would attempt to cover the eyes of one of the dogs with a garment of clothing to buy time.
I have silver statue of the dog who bit on my shelf my boss had it made to go on her car bonnet. When she became to old to drive she had the model mounted on marble and gave it to me .
Yes, me too & bitten. One dear little pony stomped on my foot, deliberately, when I was putting her feed in her manger, evil she was. This was all a long time ago & I do miss looking after horses.
