Sometimes I despair at the Human Race

[UK_Widowmaker]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139442/Violet-DMello-mauled-tame-cheetahs-holiday-safari-park.html?ICO=most_read_module

 

I'm afraid, I have little sympathy... why is it, that Human Beings, are so incredibly conceited as to think, a Wild, Carnivorous animal, is happy to be petted, and treated like a Circus freak, for Obese Tourists to get their kicks?...It wants to Kill things!..that's what it does.

Millions of years of evolution...Nature's perfect hunters... 60 mph Killing Machine...and they let people stroke it!...utterly insane!....and yet, we're not allowed to drive at 5mph over the speed limit!....there's something terribly wrong with Mankind!

[+Wrench]

and you're just figuring that out now???

 

once our fore-brains developed, evolution was done with us.

[KiwiBiggles]

Holy s**t Wrench!

 

 

U have 4 brains???

[+streakeagle]

People appreciate animals more when they can get up close, which ultimately helps promote protecting wild habitats endangered by man. So, as long as people accept the risks, I am all for letting them "play" with wild animals or even keep them as pets. In some cases, the number of pets outnumbers the number in the wild, so these "pets" may actually help prevent total extinction. Where I have a problem with people mixing it up with wild animals is after an incident like this, they think they are entitled to some kind of monetary settlement or some entity calls for the animals to be killed. The animal should never be punished for the stupidity of people.

 

Look at Sea World. They have a killer whale that has killed 2 or 3 people. They have correctly chosen not to kill or punish the whale for being itself. At the same time, they clearly aren't smart enough to keep clear of the whale to avoid further incidents. Killer whales are clearly too big to be held in captivity and be both mentally and physically healthy. But, Sea World has used these animals to promote awareness and respect for these animals in particular and ocean life in general. Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

[+Swordsman422]

You despair only sometimes? s**t, let's trade places.

[Atreides]

Didn't Sea World caputre a baby white shark ? Do they still have it, if so I wonder if one day we'll be reading about how a "Tame" great white ate all the instuctors and divers in its tank, and was put down like a rabid dog for being a bad shark.

[Lt. James Cater]

This sorta reminds me of when i was working in the National Parks a few years ago. Damned if people more often than not had an expectation of the animals being as tame as a fenced in pet.