A stampede (/stæmˈpiːd/)[1] is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include horses, cattle, elephants, reindeer, sheep, pigs, goats, zebras, wildebeests, walruses,[2] and rhinoceroses.
The animal behavior of stampeding was first noticed by cattle ranchers and cowboys in the American Wild West. Large herds of cattle would be managed across wide-open plains, with no fences to contain them. In these unbounded spaces, cattle were able to run freely, and sometimes the whole herd would take off in the same direction unexpectedly. Cowboys developed techniques to deal with this situation and calm the cattle, to stop the stampede and regain control of their herd.[3][4] The term "stampede" came from the Mexican Spanish term estampida ('an uproar').[5]
Cattle herds tended to be nervous, and any unusual occurrence, particularly a sudden or unexpected noise, could scare the cattle and kick off a stampede. Things such as a gunshot, a lightning strike, a clap of thunder, someone jumping off a horse, a horse shaking itself, or even a tumbleweed being blown into the herd have been known to cause stampedes.[6][3][4]
One way cowboys would stop a stampede was to attempt to turn the moving herd into itself so that it runs in wide circles, rather than running off a cliff or into a river. The circle could be made smaller and smaller, eventually forcing the herd to slow down due to lack of space in which to run. Tactics used to make the herd turn into itself include firing a pistol, which creates noise to make the leaders of the stampede turn.[3][4][6][7]
Animals who stampede, especially cattle, are less likely to do so after having eaten and watered, and if they are spread out in smaller groups to digest.[6][7] To further reduce the risk of stampedes, cowboys sometimes sing or whistle to calm the herds disquieted by nightfall.[3] Those on watch at night avoid doing things which could startle the herd and even distance themselves before dismounting a horse or lighting a match.[8]
Sometimes humans purposefully induce cattle to stampede as a component of warfare or hunting[citation needed], such as some Native Americans, who were known to provoke American bison herds to stampede off a buffalo jump for hunting purposes, and harvest the animals after they are killed or incapacitated by the fall.
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Main article: Crowd collapses and crushes |
If you look at the analysis, I've not seen any instances of the cause of mass fatalities being a stampede. People don't die because they panic. They panic because they are dying.
Keith Still, professor of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University[9]
... far from mass panic occurring, being in an emergency can create a common identity among those affected. A consequence of this is that people are cooperative and altruistic towards others – even when among strangers, and/or in life–threatening situations.[10]
Cocking, Drury and Reicher
Whereas "crowd crushes" often occur during events where a large number of people are moving forward, such as entertainment events or religious pilgrimages[11][12], "human stampedes" occur as people try to get away from a perceived danger, as in a case where a noxious gas was released in crowded premises.[13]
While sensational media reports often talk of "panic", research has found that mass panic is rare;[14] on the contrary, people continue to help each other at the risk of their lives.[15][10] The scientific consensus is that true "human stampedes" and "panics" rarely occur except when many people are fleeing in fear, such as from a fire,[15] and trampling by people in such "stampede" conditions rarely causes fatal injuries unless egress is impeded.[9]