A very common fear amongst people of all ages is the fear of animals. In fact, one out of every five people will experience this fear to a extent. Some peoples fears involving animals is mild while others fears are extreme. There are many degrees to this fear.
Some people who suffer from a fear of animals have such a mild case of the disorder that their fear simply prevents them from enjoying time with or around animals. They can generally be in close proximately to an animal, but choose not to do so. Those people who suffer from an extreme fear will find it impossible to even get near the animal or animals that they are fearful of.
Additionally, some peoples fears only surround a single animals, while others fears will involve all types of animals. Most commonly people fear animals such as snakes and dogs. These are the two most common animals that people will generally gain a fear of. Snakes are common due to the fact that people fear their bite.
The majority of animal related fears are the result of a traumatic experience involving an animal. For instance, a child who is bitten by a dog may have a lifelong fear of dogs for the duration of their life. Additionally, a person may acquire this type of fear if they see another person hurt by such an animal.
Due to the exact extent of these fears some people will overcome them on their own. Others will be forced to seek out help from a trained professional in order to overcome the fear. The fear of animals can become so intense if not treated. In fact, there are many people who won’t even leave their homes due to this extreme fear. Therefore, proper help should be acquired if a persons fear of animals causes them to lose sleep or to enjoy life.