Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos

[Xiku_kutsu]

(06-23-2021, 08:51 AM)Rishi Wrote: @Xiku_kutsu @BA0701 Look at it this way.
Why would the "natural" behavior of the animals be, to break out in a panicked fit of berserking aggression on contact with humans?.. Even more, why would such attitude be desirable?

In the few regions where such dynamic has been achieved, this is the natural behaviour of ALL species when humans are not aggrevating or attacking them at sight. You mentioned Bengals, so here's the most recent one...

Them being perfectly comfortable in each others company, is the best you can hope in existing situation.

Note: Baiting livestock to draw out predators for lazy tourists to photograph is a serious crime that is (now) a 7 years jail term. By no means I'm including that.

Firstly, that was an incredible interaction. They look as comfortable as the cute deer that frequent my neighborhood, except the deer are even more jumpy! Also, I do agree with the point that when humans are simply minding their own business that most animals might not necessarily view them as a threat. Deer, for example, will learn to see us as just any other prey animal and, even if they haven't learned that yet, it is in their nature to flee before anything else. My problem is that aggression is pretty much inevitable with such predators because how are they meant to perceive us? As prey, who they eat, or as fellow predators, who they attack as well? Being naturally curious, will one of the lions (that are normally are the ones being followed) feel empowered to try and see what those humans are all about when it has the advantage of being undetected? For every good encounter, there's another, like everyone's seen in this popular video. 

Wrong place, wrong time and there could now a big problem. But there's clearly no "quick fix" to habitat loss and the such, so I always hope the current situations will have more good outcomes (like these chill lions/tigers) than bad. Glad to hear there are solid punishments for pushing the boundaries. Reply