Stampede

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd (or crowd) collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose. Stampedes are believed to originate from biological responses in the brains and endocrine systems of herd animals. The response is believed to have evolved to help animals escape predators.

A large stampede will frequently eliminate anything in its path. In farmed animals, herd managers, sometimes called cowboys, attempt to turn the moving herd into itself, so that it runs in circles rather than self-destructing by running over a cliff or into a river, or from damaging human life or property by overrunning human settlements.

Specific animals associated with stampede behaviour are cattle, elephants, Blue Wildebeests and wild horses.

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[edit] Human stampedes

The term stampede, also known as a crush or trampling, commonly describes a sudden rush of a crowd of people, usually resulting in many injuries and death from suffocation and trampling. Human stampedes most often occur during religious pilgrimages, professional sporting and music events. They also often occur in times of mass panic, as a result of a fire or explosion, as people try to get away.

The annual Muslim Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is attended by millions of pilgrims, has increasingly suffered from stampedes and other disasters, even as authorities have constructed new walkways and instituted other traffic controls to prevent them. The worst documented stampede in modern history happened at the 1990 Hajj, when over 1400 people died in a tunnel.

[edit] List of human stampedes

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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  2. ^ BBC NEWS | Middle East | Deadly stampede at Yemeni rally
  3. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6075746,00.html
  4. ^ At least 12 crushed to death in Zambia after African Cup qualifier win over Republic of Congo - International Herald Tribune
  5. ^ BBC NEWS | South Asia | Women die in India train stampede
  6. ^ BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Three die in China sale stampede
  7. ^ BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | India temple stampede kills eight

[edit] External links