There's no doubt that animals can hold
a special place in our lives. A lot of people, however don't
understand the profound connection that can form between animals and
“their humans”. They might say they love their pets, but they
don't see how much animals can truly feel for their owners. A
Facebook wall post led me to a website that describes these
connections to a tee.
You cannot look at this and tell me
that animals don't feel the loss of their humans. Some people think
animals aren't intelligent or emotional enough, for this, but I think
this video would prove them wrong.
It's nothing like this, but I remember
coming home after having spent a month in the hospital and having to
sleep downstairs on a makeshift bed because I couldn't climb the
stairs. Missy, my brown tabby, was at the end of the bed every day
when I woke up, almost as though she were making sure I didn't leave
again. Yes, I'm tearing up as I'm typing this.
This one is a bit long, but can you
imagine how awesome it would be to be able hug a lion and hold it
like a teddy bear as you slept? That's how it happens for this
wildlife expert who calls himself “the lion whisperer”. The lions
know him by sight and, while they appear to be attacking him, they
are just playing with him the way a German Shepherd would with its
owner. In contrast, my cats have scratched me so much that I still
have scars. To get a good look at this amazing story, here's the
video.
Most of the “cuddly stuff” is in
the beginning, but it's really interesting to see how this man
interacts with these wild and normally-dangerous creatures.
Note: I'm sure I don't have to tell you
this, but do not try anything like this at home! In North Carolina
there was a man a few years ago who kept a tiger as a pet from the
time it was a cub. It was largely tamed, but it ended up attacking
and killing a 10-year-old boy. “Tamed” and “domesticated” are
not the same thing!
Speaking
of which-
You
may remember a story a few years ago about Roy Horn of Siegfried and
Roy being attacked by one of their tigers during a show. At first it
wasn't clear whether or not Roy was going to make it, but he's
recovered significantly in the ten years since the incident-
a lot more than anyone thought he would. What I find most
interesting is that, while most of us assumed it was an attack, Roy
says it wasn't. Apparently he had passed out on stage and
Montecore-the
gorgeous white tiger who's been part of their show for years-grabbed
him by the neck and tried
to drag him offstage.
Roy says he was acting on
the feline instinct of grabbing a baby by the scruff of the neck and
carrying it to safety, but, for obvious reasons, this only caused
more damage. The recovery Roy made is nothing short of miraculous;
the fact that he can walk, talk and even perform
magic again is
inspirational in and of itself! Ten years later, Roy and Montecore
are still the best of friends. For more details, visit
http://www.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2013/sep/30/siegfried-roy-revelations-10th-anniversary-tiger-i/.
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