I have absolutely no time for these idiots. And it matters not how many years experience they have. It is a wild beast, UN-trainable, Treating a Lion, Tiger, Bear etc. as if you could possibly anticipate its reactions is a recipe for disaster, ask Zeigfried and Roy.

>> ^A10anis:

I have absolutely no time for these idiots. And it matters not how many years experience they have. It is a wild beast, UN-trainable, Treating a Lion, Tiger, Bear etc. as if you could possibly anticipate its reactions is a recipe for disaster, ask Zeigfried and Roy.


I am tempted to mostly agree with you, but to play devil's advocate:

You might say the same thing about a car. You might be an excellent driver: years of experience, can easily and calmly avoid an accident in virtually all scenarios, never drive distracted or without an appropriate amount of focus, etc. In spite of that, once in a while your car may have some problem at exactly the wrong moment -- maybe you blow a tire just before some ice on a curve, or while trying to merge in front of a semi or something. Or maybe some drunk and/or lunatic does something that even perfect defensive driving can't prepare you for.

Driving a car can put you into situations that are impossible to anticipate on control -- recipes for disaster. Yet many of us still get behind the wheel every day. We accept that there is a small (although probably greater than we readily admit) chance of disaster, and figure that the convenience and functionality of driving/riding in a vehicle is worth the risk.

For some people, working with these animals must seem a bit like that. Steve Irwin worked with very dangerous animals all the time. He took risks that seemed like insanity to those of us that don't have the same motivations and drive that he did. And he got burned in a billion-to-one freak accident with an animal that is far less dangerous than many he worked with. My guess is that although he died as a result, if you asked his ghost what he thought about that he would likely reply "no regrets".

>> ^MilkmanDan:

>> ^A10anis:
I have absolutely no time for these idiots. And it matters not how many years experience they have. It is a wild beast, UN-trainable, Treating a Lion, Tiger, Bear etc. as if you could possibly anticipate its reactions is a recipe for disaster, ask Zeigfried and Roy.

I am tempted to mostly agree with you, but to play devil's advocate:
You might say the same thing about a car. You might be an excellent driver: years of experience, can easily and calmly avoid an accident in virtually all scenarios, never drive distracted or without an appropriate amount of focus, etc. In spite of that, once in a while your car may have some problem at exactly the wrong moment -- maybe you blow a tire just before some ice on a curve, or while trying to merge in front of a semi or something. Or maybe some drunk and/or lunatic does something that even perfect defensive driving can't prepare you for.
Driving a car can put you into situations that are impossible to anticipate on control -- recipes for disaster. Yet many of us still get behind the wheel every day. We accept that there is a small (although probably greater than we readily admit) chance of disaster, and figure that the convenience and functionality of driving/riding in a vehicle is worth the risk.
For some people, working with these animals must seem a bit like that. Steve Irwin worked with very dangerous animals all the time. He took risks that seemed like insanity to those of us that don't have the same motivations and drive that he did. And he got burned in a billion-to-one freak accident with an animal that is far less dangerous than many he worked with. My guess is that although he died as a result, if you asked his ghost what he thought about that he would likely reply "no regrets".

I'm afraid I cannot see any correlation between driving a car, and climbing into a cage with a lion! A car is an inanimate object. It is not susceptible to whims, or moods, and has not existed for millennia with the sole purpose of tearing living animals apart to feed it's family. Of course they both have risks - putting on your socks has risks. But there are rational risks, and bloody stupid risks. Your example, which compares one as equatable to the other is, frankly, a non-sequitur. As for
Steve Irwin; His death, as any, was tragic. But here was an "expert" who, despite his knowledge, died at the hands of a wild animal. I think that proves my point, there are NO experts.

yw

>> ^A10anis:

I'm afraid I cannot see any correlation between driving a car, and climbing into a cage with a lion! A car is an inanimate object. It is not susceptible to whims, or moods, and has not existed for millennia with the sole purpose of tearing living animals apart to feed it's family. Of course they both have risks - putting on your socks has risks. But there are rational risks, and bloody stupid risks. Your example, which compares one as equatable to the other is, frankly, a non-sequitur. As for
Steve Irwin; His death, as any, was tragic. But here was an "expert" who, despite his knowledge, died at the hands of a wild animal. I think that proves my point, there are NO experts.


Although the car is inanimate, it is susceptible to whims and moods -- certainly the whims and moods of other drivers (and yourself), but arguably also the occasional "quirk" in the machinery or state of some parts that can exhibit itself almost like a living thing. Perhaps it was a poor example or non-sequitur (RIP Mitch Heberg), but it makes sense to me anyway.

Maybe there are no "experts" with these wild animals (-- maybe there are no expert drivers?) but the difference between a rational risk and a bloody stupid risk is subjective, and I think that the people that work with these animals for a living (or as their passion) are personally quite comfortable with what they are doing, and believe that the risks they are taking are rational. Even if they know/believe that what they are doing has more risk of injury/death than other jobs/hobbies/activities, they feel that it is worth doing.

We don't have to agree with them. I find things like smoking or bungee jumping to be bloody stupid risks (or more accurately activities with an extremely poor cost-benefit analysis), but to people that do and love those things, my personal difference of opinion with them is of no concern (nor should it be). Life's a messy thing; no matter how much padding or how many safety nets we surround ourselves with our luck will run out eventually. I think that for the dude in this video (and for Steve Irwin), the chance to live their lives loving what they do is worth the risk of dying from it.

Race car drivers, sky divers, scuba divers, high voltage line repair guys, anyone who works around machinery, tree trimmers, .......etc. Lots of jobs out there can kill you in freak ways that no matter how much you prepare you'll still die. And none of the stuff you're working on will protect you either when those things happen.

At least with an animal, if you're in a pack of them one going nuts might end up being the pack of them on you or the others protecting you. A lot like groups of people...once you get enough people together, one guy doing something stupid go either way. More people joining in or people quashing it.......

Think it'd be cool, especially if you raised them....you could probably tell more easily WTF is up with a big cat than WTF up with your teenage daughter.