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August 18, 2005
When Animals Attack
There seems to be a run of people recently in the news who do not understand how wild animals work. First there were the people attacked by chimpanzees. On Drudge today there was a link to this story today about a kid who was killed by a tiger while posing for a picture with it. Then there was the whole Tiger attacking Roy of Siegfried and Roy fame. And finally as IMAO and Dangerous Dan point out, there are environmentalists who want to introduce wild animals like elephants and lions to the US countryside to add to our biodiversity. At least the environmentalists realize that this will get people killed, they just do not care about the potential human victims. Even I was the victim of a penguin attack a while back, although I am sure I could have bested the little beastie in unarmed combat if I had felt like killing it. That was one gladiatorial combat the Romans never thought of!
For those who do not understand how animals work, let me explain: if given the opportunity and desire they will try to kill you. I do not know if the media is merely a reflection of the lack of understanding among the population of how animals work or if is the cause of it, but unlike on Disney cartoons with tamed Tigers and friendly, talking Gorillas, real life wild animals will try to kill you if they want to. Even domesticated animals like cows and dogs will try to kill you if they feel like it. It is not a moral or rational decision on their part or a reflection on you, it is just how they are and what they do. This is true even for cute looking animals like bears or monkeys. They all have wills of their own and a natural affinity for violence. It is their nature. Do not be surprised when they act on it.
Posted by Pete at August 18, 2005 07:22 PM
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