You can post your animal tales/pics here, cute or otherwise. This is an "otherwise".
Here's the gist of a story in today's paper: ARMED GANG BROKE INTO GAME RESERVE
Three poachers who broke into a game reserve to kill rhinos were attacked and eaten by a pride of lions. The grisly remains of at least three hunters were found in South Africa. Staff recovered one head and bloodied body parts. A vet tranquilised the six lions so cops could enter the reserve. Owner Nick Fox said:
"We found enough body parts and shoes to suggest the lions ate at least three poachers. They came with high powered rifles with silencers, an axe and wire cutters. They had enough food to last them for several days. (Strange the lions didn't eat that!!) They were clearly intent on killing rhinos and cutting off their horns. But the lions are our watchdogs (yes, I can see they'd do a better job than Hector!) and guardians and they picked the wrong pride and became a meal." This year, nine rhinos have been shot in the region.
My thoughts on this? Let's hear it for the lions!! Now altogether, Hip, hip.........
I have been to a proper game reserve in South Africa and they can be frightening and dangerous places. Forget Longleat!! The lions and other animals in these reserves are NOT fed. They have to forage and hunt for their own food exactly as they do in the wild. And I came face to face with a wild lioness (the hunters of the pride) and no more than 12 inches separated us!!!
Our friends and neighbours, Richard and Mary, owned an ancient maroon VW Beetle. Also in the car was my then wife Marilyn, daughter Samantha, myself and our very own @jackodiamonds who would remember nothing of this as he was comfortably ensconced in his mother's pregnant belly at the time. Anyway, we drove to this game reserve and within minutes, and the only car in this area, we came across this pride of lions, some of whom were play fighting on a grassy knoll at the side of us. Richard stopped the car for us to take a good look and next minute two of them, snarling ferociously and locked together in combat, came rolling down the hill in a bundle of tawny fur, slashing claws and flashing teeth and crashed with a resounding thump into the side of the car.
Now my window was half down. "For fcuk's sake wind your window up", screamed Richard in horror. I was ahead of him because my arm was a blur as I wound the window up. Except it didn't go up, it went DOWN!! Next thing, this sodding great head with huge eyes popped up about a foot from my face. I almost shit myself and I furiously wound the window back up in a frantic race for survival. I swear there must have been smoke coming off that handle so fast was I cranking it.
I promise I haven't exaggerated a thing. That's how it happened. Now I have some pictures of that day, including some of a pride of lions watching us enter the reserve. Don't think it was the same pride though because our incident took place about an hour later deeper into the reserve. Anyway, I'll post the pics up here for you to take a look. Just think. If I had been a little slower winding that window up there would be no Ivor, no jackodiamonds, no Swanselona and you wouldn't be reading this.
Here's the gist of a story in today's paper: ARMED GANG BROKE INTO GAME RESERVE
Three poachers who broke into a game reserve to kill rhinos were attacked and eaten by a pride of lions. The grisly remains of at least three hunters were found in South Africa. Staff recovered one head and bloodied body parts. A vet tranquilised the six lions so cops could enter the reserve. Owner Nick Fox said:
"We found enough body parts and shoes to suggest the lions ate at least three poachers. They came with high powered rifles with silencers, an axe and wire cutters. They had enough food to last them for several days. (Strange the lions didn't eat that!!) They were clearly intent on killing rhinos and cutting off their horns. But the lions are our watchdogs (yes, I can see they'd do a better job than Hector!) and guardians and they picked the wrong pride and became a meal." This year, nine rhinos have been shot in the region.
My thoughts on this? Let's hear it for the lions!! Now altogether, Hip, hip.........
I have been to a proper game reserve in South Africa and they can be frightening and dangerous places. Forget Longleat!! The lions and other animals in these reserves are NOT fed. They have to forage and hunt for their own food exactly as they do in the wild. And I came face to face with a wild lioness (the hunters of the pride) and no more than 12 inches separated us!!!
Our friends and neighbours, Richard and Mary, owned an ancient maroon VW Beetle. Also in the car was my then wife Marilyn, daughter Samantha, myself and our very own @jackodiamonds who would remember nothing of this as he was comfortably ensconced in his mother's pregnant belly at the time. Anyway, we drove to this game reserve and within minutes, and the only car in this area, we came across this pride of lions, some of whom were play fighting on a grassy knoll at the side of us. Richard stopped the car for us to take a good look and next minute two of them, snarling ferociously and locked together in combat, came rolling down the hill in a bundle of tawny fur, slashing claws and flashing teeth and crashed with a resounding thump into the side of the car.
Now my window was half down. "For fcuk's sake wind your window up", screamed Richard in horror. I was ahead of him because my arm was a blur as I wound the window up. Except it didn't go up, it went DOWN!! Next thing, this sodding great head with huge eyes popped up about a foot from my face. I almost shit myself and I furiously wound the window back up in a frantic race for survival. I swear there must have been smoke coming off that handle so fast was I cranking it.
I promise I haven't exaggerated a thing. That's how it happened. Now I have some pictures of that day, including some of a pride of lions watching us enter the reserve. Don't think it was the same pride though because our incident took place about an hour later deeper into the reserve. Anyway, I'll post the pics up here for you to take a look. Just think. If I had been a little slower winding that window up there would be no Ivor, no jackodiamonds, no Swanselona and you wouldn't be reading this.
