Stampede

A stampede () 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, wild horses, and rhinoceroses.

People
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.

References

Category:Ethology
Category:Mammals