"The lion approached from the left of the vehicle, the passenger side and walked quite close to the car. The witnesses said they saw the guests taking pictures of the lion from a meter away, then the lion lunged at the car and bit the lady through the window."...
It's the third big cat attack at the park in just four months.... There were no plans to destroy the animal....
June 1, 2015
"We put signage up everywhere.... We hand them a slip of paper when they enter the park, I really don't understand why people think its okay to leave windows open."
At Gauteng Lion Park in South Africa, where a 22-year-old American woman was dragged by a lion through her car window and to her death.
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Keep the windows rolled up. When skydiving, don't set your parachute on fire. These rules can't be emphasized enough.
You know, if you simply go to a nice Zoo, you may not get the excitement, but also don't get the risk of getting eaten by lions. A little boring, the 20th time, true, but bring a picnic basket and make the best of it.
Between this and Bruce Caitlyn Jenner, these are some serious "First World Problems."
Wild Cats are definitely not dogs. They see mere humans as prey.
I wonder what would happen if the park also included a sign indicating how many days it’s been since the last tourist was attacked by a lion.
I wonder how long the lion had been thinking about doing that.
The closer an unarmed human gets to 'nature', the lower they go on the food chain.
It wasn't thinking about it when it attacked.
Darwin award contender.
They should cite her for feeding the lions too.
I blame the new-agey, progressive belief that everything natural and organic is always benign. "Nature", to these people, is always fair, gentle and kind. Nature is viewed through a highly subjective lense, which blots out any idea that nature is violent, merciless, and culls the herd by ridding the population of the sick, old or handicapped.
Thus we have twenty-somethings that don't really believe that a predator will act like....a predator.
Nice to know that Darwin awards can go to women, too.
Score another kill for the Disney concept of wildlife.
George Zimmermann should have stayed in the car! Not to mention that Officer Wilson should have stayed in the car and waited for backup.
Now I know where to send that fat babe with a cartload who was ahead of me in the express line at the supermarket.
My next-door neighbor's grandson lost an arm to a lion in a zoo in Guatemala. He climbed close to the cage for a photo op and a lion grabbed him. Some people make stupid decisions at the most inappropriate times.
This post goes with the Jenner post right?
Man = Man.
Lion = Lion.
Anyone who has watched a kitten or cat at play should know better than to let a 300 pound cat get close or leave an open window for it to "play" with you.
Of course the cat should not be put down !
All part of "the circle of life".
Lion's just doin' its thing, and stupidity is a deadly offense.
I love South Africa, but they certainly play by different rules. This is a video I took at the Rhino and Lion Sanctuary, another park that's near the Lion Park.
The fence was only 10 feet tall. Tigers can leap 15 feet.
I am LION, hear me roar! Roll that window down, lady, and hear me better.
Actually if I'm not mistaken a Darwin has already been awarded for foolishness with lions.
To quote science fiction writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle: "Think of it as 'Evolution In Action'."
I'm going to guess there was something else going on here. Perhaps, they were trying to feed the lions.
Lions in the wild are reluctant to attack people. Their first response is to run. Maybe zoo lions lose their fear of people.
Stupid woman. Do people not understand the concept of a wild animal? Hopefully she had no kids so they did not have to explain how stupid their mother was.
Mad,
In the Lion Park, the lions are kept in a large fenced off area (like 4 or 5 acres all fenced off just for the lions), with a dirt road that winds through the park. The Lions are usually fed by a pickup truck that drops a cow carcass in one of a few designated feeding areas. Cars drive through the park all the time, so the lions don't fear them. There are a bunch of signs about keeping the car windows rolled up (and other signs about cars with fabric roofs or fabric/plastic covers over spare tires on trucks and jeeps as the lions will claw those).
I suspect madAsHell is correct that something was going on.
Perhaps the humans were trying to touch the lions.
They zoo should require all visitors to watch the first "Faces of Death" movie. That might help reduce visitor fatalities.
Good. Leave them alone.
I remember a woman was stomped to death by an elephant who got to close and kept clicking her camera. I was so glad when the preserve said it was her fault and the elephant will not be harmed for her stupidity.
So I guess no Animals are Jerks tag for this one?
Once again, people. The moment you step outside you become prey for something. Stay indoors. If god wanted you to wander about in nature he wouldn't have given us "Animal Planet".
FYI, one of the signs from in the Park itself (I guess a Google Maps car went on a tour, but didn't go into the lion camps.
Wild animals are just that. Keep the windows rolled up, if the cat jumps on the car drive real fast.
You see the same $hit at Yellowstone. They hand out flyers at the gate. Bears, Buffalo and Elk are wild. They run a lot faster than you do and get annoyed at people, but every year, people don't understand...
https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=C211US105D20140710&p=yellowstone+wild+animal+flyer
How do you spell D A R W I N A W A R D S.
These grass eaters just won't ever learn this the nature of the beast is to be a beast.
On the plus side, she got to cross the wish to bury her face in the soft, luxuriant fur of a lion's mane off her bucket list.
Did you know that grizzly bears are so strong that if they can get a paw on the inside they can pry open a locked car door like you open a can of sardines?
Or that the Canadian gander wandering in the park can break your hand/fingers if he wallops you with his wing?
Animals can be unbelievably strong for their size. Let's not even get started on how strong & cruel an adult male chimpanzee can be.
Clearly, evolution at work. Rarely seen.
Microaggression gone wild!
A bear that chased two runners in a nature reserve was euthanized in Connecticut a few weeks ago.
http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-granby-bear-chase-0505-20150504-story.html
Reminds me of when I went hiking the Grand Canyon with a group that invited me last minute. They had a member of their party drop out and I only knew one of them, a coworker that I knew well and still respect immensely. The plan was to go down the South Kaibab trail in early July. That time of year is extremely hot, at the top of the trail, there are HUGE signs saying "HEAT KILLS." They posed in front of the signs like they were funny jokes. They carried very heavy packs filled with canned goods, cheese whiz and jars of spaghetti sauce because they were car campers and couldn't conceive of going light. They each only carried one liter of water.
Very long story short, one woman had to be evacuated by helicopter, and her husband had to accompany her, and the remaining six of us were left to carry their packs out. We traveled out by moonlight after recuperating a couple nights at the bottom.
Some people just don't understand that the world is not air conditioned and paved for them.
I'm sorry for the woman to have to endure such a horrendous death, but she did get to learn the true essence of nature and lions, and everyone else on her tour is just a bit wiser now. Idiot.
Life in the Bush!
Natural selection.
I've personally witness a tourist in South Africa lose a finger after trying to pet a Penguin (yeah, they bite hard). I also saw two American teens in Australia get serious facial lacerations from a koala in the wild (yeah, their claws are sharp).
Life ain't all Disney characters
Several years ago, two a-holes were throwing stuff at the tigers in SF zoo.
Score, 1 dead, 1 seriously scarred. F'kin' tigers can jump that moat and the fence if they are motivated. Who knew? They usually just lay around until feeding time.
Un fortunately, tiger was executed.
You can't attack me. I am an AMERICAN.
I see this at stop lights in New York City all the time. Pedestrians crossing the streets against the lights and refusing to look at oncoming traffic, with an air of insouciance. I am a director. I make $150 grand a year. I don't care about your fucking cab, go on, hit me. I dare you.
I haven't seen An Entitled Pedestrian and An Entitled Taxicab meet each other at a high rate of speed yet, but if I continue to work in this benighted city for much longer, it's going to happen. It's got to be more than the number of people who are killed by falling window air conditioners; and there are at least a few every year.
This was a young woman who actually needed a Safe Place. She just didn't realize that she was supposed to provide it for herself.
"one woman had to be evacuated by helicopter, and her husband had to accompany her, and the remaining six of us were left to carry their packs out."
You had to? I think you chose to. Could have left the packs, and I doubt many would have thought ill of you. Even then, it's a choice.
What a dreadful thing for this woman and her family.
People make horrible decisions all the time. Most of the time, they aren't fatal.
Jim in St Louis said...
"George Zimmermann should have stayed in the car! Not to mention that Officer Wilson should have stayed in the car and waited for backup."
At least Z and Wilson were armed. And the two wild animals died.
"Life in he Bush."? How he hell is this his fault?
Shocking, considering how well versed a 22 yr. old American female is in "triggering, aggression, safe spaces, and feminist protective status"...as they are educated to conquer the real world.
Naughty, Browndog! How dare you use such a transgressive word as conquer?
Kidding aside, the this kind of stupidity is not rare. One would think 200,000 years of paleolithic life would weeded out the morons who think they are the one exception to the rule about big cats.
As Laslo could explain, it's only tragic if she was hot. Or Titus I suppose.
She watched the wrong nature programs. A lawsuit will not save her now.
Jim in St Louis:
Zimmerman and Wilson should have "moved to the back of the bus." Psychopaths and criminals first. The right to self-defense is so passe.
Paul:
Zimmerman and Wilson watched the right nature programs. Political Correctness (PC) kills/plans 1 in 6 [conceived] boys and girls and destroys the lives/relationships of a majority of men and women. At least the lion did not harbor ulterior motives. Don't be the next victim of PC.
Well if you are going to a drive through safari park for a thrill, this is the one!
Its absolutely Romanesque.
Well, people simply don't believe what is on those cards. They are used to warnings when there really is no danger, or they think (perhaps mostly, but not 100% correctly, that they can tell when danger is coming.
It's like warning people against taking drugs.
Thorley Winston said...
I wonder what would happen if the park also included a sign indicating how many days it’s been since the last tourist was attacked by a lion.
The thought occurs to me taht in that case, the longer the no-attack streak went on, the more people would keep their windows open.
“Stupidity cannot be cured. Stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death. There is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
Her life [process] has ended its evolution. Now she is merely a clump of cells rotting in the beast's belly. It's unfortunate that it could not have been a clump of cells from the clinic's toilet by her mother's choice. Well, either way, progress [from the mouth to the anus], but not evolution.
I'd be petrified even with the windows closed.
madasHell wrote: Lions in the wild are reluctant to attack people. Their first response is to run.
I don't know where you acquired that gem, but it ain't true. That behavior might have been common 100 years ago when big game hunting was stylish. Since it has gone out of style lions have lost their fear of mankind and now regard us either as interlopers or potential prey.
There's very little wilderness left in East Africa compared to what it was in colonial times. Lions need a lot of meat. Stalking and killing an animal smaller than a zebra or wildebeest is seldom worth the effort, and those big prey animals are now almost entirely confined to the big national parks and to private game reserves. The lions in those parks and reserves are as closely managed as it is practical because the parks are bordered and often crisscrossed by private farms with lots of juicy cattle and farmer's children idling about. Lions are smart and observant, and there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that they are much more wary of an armed man, such as a park warden, than of a tourist with a camera. Why this may be true isn't known -- perhaps tourists are more prone to smell of perfumed toiletries or armed men give off "I'm a badass" pheromones, whatever... The point is lion don't run away anymore, and they may never have, but there was a time when humans who approached lions did so with intent to kill them, which isn't true nowadays. Lions may seems retreat from people, but only to a place of concealment from which they can observe and stalk, which is exactly how they behave around zebra, antelope and wildebeest. Someone unfamiliar with lion behavior may interpret a retreat as a sign of fear or caution, when in reality it is more likely just part of their normal hunting technique.
Best by taste test. The motto of lions who have learned that dumb humans taste better than smart ones. OTOH, it's rare for a lion to be able to open a car window or door on its own. (Although apparently at least one lion in that particular park once managed to get a car door open).
I blame (the) Bush!
Bet she was a liberal.
All things considered, I'd rather be fucked by a dolphin.
stupid Americans in fernerner countries-the worst.
When I travel to France I see fatty Americans in moomoos and sweat pants and it breaks my heart.
I tell the Frenchies I am Canadian and they are like ok-plus I am thin and dress well-so I can pass as not an American.
madasHell wrote: Lions in the wild are reluctant to attack people. Their first response is to run.
I'd also like to point out that "in the wild" is highly subjective and is probably meaningless. It would be difficult to find a lion on this planet that can be said to be in the wild. Virtually all lions are managed in some degree, either closely managed in safari parks and zoos, or more distantly managed in remote parks with restricted access like the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. If one looks very hard one might find a few prides living in the wild in places like Mali and the Kalahari region go Namibia, but they are very rare.
There was a time when lions were the object of universal respect and dread, and they weren't confined to Africa, either. Lions used to range from Iberia in the northwest and right across Southern Europe to Central Asia, and south into the Indian subcontinent. They were exterminated in Europe and Asia by the end of classical times because civilized people had the weapons and organization to do it. The reason lions were exterminated is simple -- modern humans who rely on agriculture can't coexist with lions in the wild.
We are all delighted you can pass as "not an American," Titus. BTW, don't tell a real Canadian you're trying to pass as one of his countrymen, it might get you beaten up.
FTA: "Two days later, a 13-year-old from a nearby slum was attacked by a cheetah while riding a bicycle through the grounds. "
"You had to? I think you chose to. Could have left the packs, and I doubt many would have thought ill of you. Even then, it's a choice."
Yes, we had to. Park rules. They were in our party and we were not allowed to leave anything behind.
Titus: "When I travel to France I see fatty Americans in moomoos and sweat pants and it breaks my heart."
Maybe because you are from the backwoods of Wisconsin where folks like you call African-American Neurosurgeons "boy" and guys like garage refer to African-Americans as "blacky's" you are simply too ignorant to realize that the fat people you see in France are not American, but actually Frenchies?
"One day while walking in the woods Alge saw a Bear.
The Bear saw Alge.
The Bear was bulgy.
The bulge was Alge."
---Old Red Skeleton joke/ditty
Lions do what lions do best: kill their preys.
It's the stupid American's fault: oh, wow, so cute!
She paid for her stupidity, deserved the Darwinian Award.
The lion was clearly a member of the patriarchy.
22 is too young to die of youthful stupidity. If we all got what we deserved at that age there would be a much smaller population. RIP, young lady.
My first though was "I hope she hasn't reproduced yet."
The second; did the lions eat all of her? Seriously. Or did they just kill her and wonder off?
Re: show me one ...
It is only in the last century that anyone would have thought a 22-year-old as being sheltered from their mistakes or the mistakes of others. Before that, there was indeed a much smaller population - of survivors.
At Yellowstone part, there are warnings everywhere to stay on the trails and don't approach the animals. Yet, every year, some idiot tries to pet a Bison and another idiot leaves the trails for some dumb-ass reason (usually to get a better picture.)
Same thing happens at Yosemite with leaving the trail, falling in the water and having the longest water slide exit ever.
I love Canada. Quebec City and Montreal are my fave cities. It is extremely difficult for Americans to work there-they don't want American trash. Believe me i have tried! For an American to actually work in Canada you need a Phd in Neuroscience-otherwise, forget about it.
Also, there is so much gay sex in Quebec. I would totally assimilate to Quebecois. I could pay a french canadian to marry me though, while still being married to my hot, muscular UK/Indian hubby.
I did a guy named Gilles from Montreal recently who wanted to marry me-but he meant it for real. I was like I will marry you for fake and he was like not cool-bitch.
But third world countries are totally welcome.
I wish I wasn't an American. But at least I am in one of the most Euro cities in the UKKA.
thanks
tits!
It was a long time ago, but when I was 17 I camped in Yellowstone, and brown bears were constantly walking through the campgrounds. The Park Rangers told everyone to leave them alone, and so far as I could see everyone did. But there was a real temptation to pet a bear as it walked by, because they seemed so harmless and reminded you of your dog -- except much, MUCH bigger. We were also told that if we went into the wilderness areas we might meet a grizzly bear, in which event the Park Service would do its best to notify your next of kin.
I put lions in the grizzly bear category.
The quesiton at the top of this post is getting things backward.
Ask not why people think its okay to leave windows open. Ask why they don't think it's NOT OK to leave windows open.
Maybe they think if it was that dangerous, they wouldn't let people go in there.
And did Teddy Roosevelt go on safari in a sealed compartment?
Well, he had guns. And maybe it wasn't actually so safe. Not even in South Dakota.
Theodore Roosevelt was a regular Honey Badger. From his book The Brazilian Wilderness in which he led a party up the previously uncharted river of doubt (Now Rio Roosevelt)
Meanwhile the doctor bade his attendant put
on the table a big jararaca, or fer-de-lance, which was accordingly done. The jararaca was about three feet and a half, or perhaps nearly four feet long--that is, it was about nine inches shorter than the mussurama. The latter, which I continued to hold in my arms, behaved with friendly and impassive indifference, moving easily to and fro through my hands, and once or twice hiding its head between the sleeve
and the body of my coat. The doctor was not quite sure how the
mussurama would behave, for it had recently eaten a small snake, and unless hungry it pays no attention whatever to venomous snakes, even when they attack and bite it. However, it fortunately proved still to have a good appetite.
This while at a Brazilian herpetarium prior to starting up the river. This was a former president handling a venomous snake. Sounds stupid to me but he was an expert so knew what he was doing.
the dead American woman obviously didn't.
John Henry
Titus--I wish I wasn't an American. But at least I am in one of the most Euro cities in the UKKA.
Titus, while I find your postings whimsically amusing I have to say I wish you weren't an American also.
Any situation where an animal kills a human I generally believe its the humans fault. Not always, but most times.
My wife and I were driving out west and stopped at an overlook of the Missouri River. There was a trail leading out to a point. We headed out that way. I was raised in the woods, I have good situational awareness. I grabbed my wife by the arm to stop her. "Watch out. There's a rattlesnake!" "Oh! That's not a rattlesnake." she informed me before it coiled up and started rattling. Coming back we saw the snake again in the same spot. We passed another couple heading out the trail. I warned them about the snake. They rushed out to see it.
ps.
i worked on a zoo exhibit once. They had gorillas. There was this little baby gorilla on the other side of the bars. He looked at me with those great big eyes, and I, who know better, had to stop myself from putting my hand in the cage with him. I didn't get that I'm about to attack vibe from him, so I think I would have been okay. But its a wild animal! No matter how cute, you must never forget that.
It's one thing to believe that rules don't apply to you. It's a another thing to believe that rules attached to institutions don't apply to you. It's an entirely different thing in kind, dimension and degree to believe that even the rules of nature don't apply you.
If it turns out that the lion broke through locked doors and rolled-up windows, I will retract the judgment obviously inherent in that previous paragraph of mine, apologize flat-out without "ifs," and then spend quite a while turning on myself the same, sharp beam of analysis and judgment, as well I ought, should and must.
Huh. In India, we tourists got driven around in open jeeps (well, Tatas). Tigers didn't bother us.
Can't fix stupid.
Lions in the wild are reluctant to attack people. Their first response is to run. Maybe zoo lions lose their fear of people.
That's not just wrong, it's ridiculous.
Lions hunt and eat humans... or at least, they did long ago.
Today's lions are no less deadly, they're just fewer in number.
Scott said...
You can't attack me. I am an AMERICAN.
Or,
Woman: "Surely that sign doesn't apply to me. I'm special."
Lion: "No, you're not special. And don't call me Shirley."
To Dave - you have to take the back packs out of the Grand Canyon. The Rangers there are thankfully very strict and there is no littering. Whatever you bring in, you must bring out. It's not like they have garbage men to trek down miles to pick up your refuse. There are heavy fines and they know who you are.
""We put signage up everywhere....""
Well, that's the problem. Those annoying "Danger! Caution! Warning!" signs are ubiquitous these days. If people paid any attention to them they'd never get anything done.
To Dave from me too.
In the Grand Canyon you even have to pack out your used toilet paper:
"Q: Are there toilets in the canyon?
A: There are very few. Not all campsites have toilet facilities. Be prepared to provide your own toilet paper. Where toilets are available, you must use them. Only human waste and toilet paper should be deposited in the toilets. Where toilets are not available you must carry out your used toilet paper (a plastic ziplock bag works well) and bury feces in a small hole about 6 in / 15 cm deep. Be sure you are at least 200 ft / 60 m from trails, campsites, and water sources. Along the Colorado River, urinate directly into the wet sand at the river's edge."
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/hiking-faq.htm#CP_JUMP_100018
And I have seen some discussion of requiring packing your feces out as well.
I saw a sign from a zoo in India that read, "Tigers--only those who sincerely believe in reincarnation should venture beyond this point."
Macroaggression.
In Oz there are no Lions but we have some very nice Salt Water Crocs which munch on the odd (often Yank) tourist. In the North it is said you don't have to worry about sharks when you have a swim in the sea; the Crocs ate them all (boom, boom).
Florida has a tough "No getting out of your car in your own neighborhood in the presence of a No_Limit_Nigga" law.
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