Tourist Mauled 05-09-2009 Share |
An article in the UK Telegraph under the heading “Writer mauled after entering lion’s enclosure” serves yet again to highlight why interaction between tourists and wild animals should be banned in South Africa. The article describes the facility where the incident occurred as a “sanctuary”. Nothing could be further from the truth! Sanctuaries do not allow visitor / animal interaction, nor do they keep animals in small barren sandpits. The writer of the article was led to believe that the lion was “found wandering along a road” and that it had been “raised with a view to being released back into the wild”. Anybody who knows anything about rehabilitation knows that 1) animals earmarked for rehabilitation should have minimum contact with humans; 2) animals earmarked for rehabilitation should be kept in as natural an environment as possible. Obviously, there is no feasible way that this lion could ever be “rehabilitated”. To view video footage of the attack, follow this link - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestylevideo/?bcpid=1911416382&bctid=36873208001 What is abundantly clear from the footage is that the lion handler, “Arrie” has absolutely no control over the lion and panics when the attack takes place. There are clear indications early on (after 40 seconds) that the lion will become aggressive, but these are either ignored or the so called “lion expert” has so little knowledge of lion behaviour that he just does not realise it! After the first signs of aggression from the lion, no attempt is made to remove the journalist from the cage and the aggression escalates. The lion handler “Arrie” is himself attacked just more than a minute in, yet at no point indicates that they should exit the cage. After about 2 ½ minutes have elapsed “Arrie” says to the journalist “don’t worry, he’s just playing”. Obviously the lion was not “just playing”! The “lion expert” responds to the attacks with “series of fierce clips”. To summarise, the video shows an unsuspecting tourist being taken into a cage by a “lion expert” with a lion that “was picked up on the side of the road” and that will be “rehabilitated”. The unsuspecting tourist is then subjected to an escalating series of attacks with the “lion expert” apparently oblivious to the fact that the lion is behaving aggressively and not playfully. The “lion expert” responds to the attacks by hitting the lion, which only serves to provoke the animal more. One can only hope that this video will dissuade tourists from petting lion cubs when on holiday in South Africa. Hopefully tourists will also not be so gullible as to believe that lions used for petting are “picked up on the side of the road” and eventually “rehabilitated”. The real victim in this story is actually the lion. What will eventually happen to him? A life in a small barren cage and being subjected to “fierce clips” every time he behaves like a lion is no life for any animal. To the journalist pictured in this video, you are lucky to have escaped with your life, I sincerely hope that in the longer term the lion will be as fortunate. To read the UK Telegraph article follow this link - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/6139806/Daily-Telegraph-writer-mauled-after-entering-lions-enclosure.html |