Humans display their stupid side to wildlife (Reuters) Updated: 2006-01-02 10:36
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African mugger fleeing the scene of his
crime hides in a tiger enclosure.
On the country's coast, a woman
attempts to be a good Samaritan by pushing a young seal into the sea, believing
the poor thing is stranded.
Both people paid heavily for their stupidity, underscoring one of nature's
truisms: humans do dumb things around wild animals.
"I blame it on Walt Disney, where animals are given human qualities. People
don't understand that a wild animal is not something that is nice to pat. It can
seriously harm you," said James Cameron, a South African professional hunter.
The cartoon image of wildlife may have prompted a 49-year-old South African
woman in October to try to help a seal which she believed was stranded, allowing
her 1-year-old grandchild to stroke the creature in the process.
The seal responded by biting off the woman's nose.
Cape Fur Seals are common on South African shores and many have become
accustomed to humans.
They are a popular tourist attraction and can be viewed playing in the sea by
Cape Town's waterfront -- which may also give a false impression of placid
friendliness.
"Cute" seal pups have also been used as potent symbols by groups such as the
International Fund for Animal Welfare, further enhancing the animal's "cuddly
status".
But they can in fact be dangerous and sometimes attack people who venture too
close -- as South Africa's noseless do-gooder discovered to her horror.
TIGER TROUBLE
Then there was the South African robber who made the mistake last month of
taking refuge in an enclosure which turned out to be home to a pair of
unimpressed tigers.
He had fled into a nearby zoo after security guards heard the screams of a
couple he had just mugged in Bloemfontein, about 400 km (250 miles) south-west
of Johannesburg.
Unsurprisingly, he was mauled to death by the big cats.
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