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Stampede

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wild horses stampeding

A stampede (/stæmˈpd/)[1] is when a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction. This is because the animals are excited or scared. Non-human species that can cause stampedes include zebras, cattle, elephants, reindeer, sheep, pigs, goats, blue wildebeests, walruses,[2] wild horses, and rhinoceroses.

The term "stampede" is sometimes used for many situations when many people are trying to do the same thing at the same time. Usually this is not accurate. A true stampede occurs when people are trying to escape from danger, such as a fire. It is far more common for people to be killed or seriously injured in a crowd collapse or crowd crush. This happens when there are too many people in too little space. That happens because the responsible authorities have failed to manage the event properly.[3]

References

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  1. stampede 1 (noun). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 16 June 2021. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. "3,000 walruses die in stampede tied to climate". NBC News. Associated Press. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  3. Lock, Samantha (1 November 2022). "Crowd crushes: how disasters like Itaewon happen, how can they be prevented, and the 'stampede' myth". The Guardian.