Flashback:

SIEGFRIED and Roy: On October 3, 2003, during a show at The Mirage, Roy Horn was bitten on the neck by a seven-year-old male tiger named Montecore. Crew members separated Horn from the tiger and rushed him to the only Level I trauma center in Nevada, University Medical Center. Horn was critically injured and sustained severe blood loss. While being taken to the hospital, Horn said, according to sources, “Don’t shoot the cat!” Horn was in critical condition for several weeks thereafter, and was said to have suffered a stroke and partial paralysis. Doctors removed one-quarter of his skull to relieve the pressure of his swelling brain during an operation known as a decompressive craniectomy. The portion of skull was placed in a pouch in Horn’s abdomen in the hope of replacing it later. Horn was eventually transferred to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California for long-term recovery and rehabilitation.

Travis The Chimp: In February, Charla Nash, was brutally attacked and disfigured by a friend’s chimpanzee in Connecticut. She was transferred to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and may need a near-total face transplant.

Australian Naturalist Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter): Irwin was killed when a stingray barb punctured his chest during the filming of an underwater documentary off the coast of Port Douglas in the Australian state of Queensland. The quirky 44-year-old television presenter popularized the word “crikey” in his television nature documentary “The Crocodile Hunter.” The series led to a feature film in 2002. Irwin often engaged in daring behavior with animals while teaching audiences about wildlife conservation. During one show he held his months old baby as he TEASED a twenty foot crocodile.

.
.
.
.
.
.

AND MANY OTHER INCIDENTS WORLDWIDE!

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

   Kevin Richardson swims with Meg the lion in the Crocodile River just south of the Magaliesburg mountains,
   near Johannesburg, South Africa

Telegragh UK: Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson raises and interacts some of the most dangerous animals known to man.

With his unusual methods, he has developed some exceptionally personal bonds with his students, playing, sleeping and even swimming with animals. Taking a well deserved swim in the Crocodile River, just south of the Magaliesburg mountains, Mr Richardson, 34, was joined by Meg the lioness.

Weighing a staggering 185 kg this boisterous tawny lioness playfully splashed around with the experienced behaviourist.

“We went swimming purely for Meg’s enrichment,” Mr Richardson said. [ READ MORE ]

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

What these so called “Naturalists” fail to appreciate, is that WILD ANIMALS are just that …..WILD!

You can only tame them to an extent. Keeping wild animals as PETS is akin to keeping them CAPTIVITY, and at some point they will want out — violently if necessary.

These critters belong in the BUSH….in the WILD, and not in the swimming pool or your bedroom as was the case with Travis the chimp.

Mr. Kevin Richardson — swimming with that lioness is worse than walking around town with a loaded pistol tied to your balls. An errant pistol may only graze your nuts, or your thigh (Plaxico Burress) …….. the lioness will tear up your groin plus your ass for lunch, all at once!

Respect wild animals — or perish when they turn on you.

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

———————————————————————————————————————————————–