Am I being unreasonable . . to wonder just how stupid some people can get?

Muffin

Blinko i suppose it was a picnic for the lions eh

I saw this and wondered where the rangers were; we once opened a window a crack to get a better photo of a tiger at Longleat and got yelled at by a ranger via a loud hailer!

I have to say we did get out of the car to photograph a bear while in Canada a few years ago - the bear was totally unconcerned by the 20 or so people photographing it!

To qualify for a Darwin Award you have to die as the result of an act abject stupidity. The thought behind the award is that by removing your genes from the human gene pool you have benefited mankind. Awards are given posthumously so nobody is tempted to try and win one.

WOW! Elegran.

I could not believe my eyes, truly.

Thanks for posting it.

Crikey!

It beggars belief, doesn't it? Did they get told off on their way out? And told not to return? Will they consider their behavior and learn from their mistake? Did they buy a cuddly toy cheetah at the gift shop before they left? I really do wonder at the human race sometimes.

We have similar stupidly here in Australia around the Barrier Reef. Signs (in multiple languages) are everywhere and given on a 'Safety in Australia message' before landing not to enter the water where crocodiles are found. During the wet season we have 'stingers' enter the waters but still some people ignore thus lives are lost. All the information is provided but ignored mostly by those from Asian countries.

Mumsyface I get your point but most of these wildlife parks that let you drive through enclosures have lots of large warning notices, hand out leaflets and often tell people verbally as well that they should stay in their cars and keep the windows closed. Do we have to assume that the whole family were illiterate and didn't understand their mother tongue as well.

DH has been known to say that you should never underestimate how stupid some people can be. Unfortunately he is right.

What makes me angry is when a rare and beautiful animal has to die for the sake of a human who should never have got into the situation in the first place. There are 9 billion humans in the world and only 790 silverback gorillas. I know I should consider human life sacred - but it's a struggle sometimes.

There wouldn't be many left to evolve, Trisher. it seems to be a dominant gene.

But it does make you think that if nature was allowed to have its way and no one interfered these people would be killed, and possibly eaten. Then perhaps the stupid gene would eventually be eradicated and the human race would evolve.

The answer to “How stupid can people get?” Is simple:

“It depends on how long they have”.

Absolutely stupid people who should be prosecuted for endangering the children. If something had happened the park would somehow have been to blame and the cats likely put down because of their stupidity. Cretins.

I grew up in south east London in a nature free environment. My lack of exposure to nature and wild animals, as a child, led me to think that animals did as humans told them to. For example, I saw cows being milked on TV; circus animals doing what their trainers told them to; dogs in the street that did as their owners told them - so my expectations were that animals did as they were told and humans were in charge. Imagine my surprise when my cousins dog bit me when I got hold of him in exactly they way she and her family did! And then my aunt told me off! Maybe the adults who think it’s safe to wander around in cheetah enclosures had a very urban upbringing with no exposure to the nature of nature ?, and simply never matured intellectually beyond the consciousness of eleven year old me.

agnurse yes!lived in the rockies
now in alligator/shark land and people are still stupid

This sort of thing makes me really really angry bcos if anything goes wrong ie the animal eats them or kills them the poor animal gets killed bcos its doing something that is natrual to them and they are seen to be the ones in the wrong but they are not its the stupid idiots wanting to pet or photagraph them.???

M0nica, reassuring to know that a Darwin Award isn't given if life was endangered or someone died as a result of dumb people/actions.

Thanks for that info, it's usually OH who finds them and shows me and I have been staggered by some of what I've seen.

Mind you I look back on some of the dumb things I did and I'm appalled at my own stupidity.

Still I've lived and learned lets hope the adults in this case learn.

There was a case recently (in Asia I think) where a lady & her elderly mother got out of the car during a trip through a wildlife park big cat enclosure. One woman died, the other wanted to sue the park!!!
The sense of entitlement of these imbeciles is off the charts!! ? I get so bloody angry when the animals in question are then killed in response to people's idiocy. Breaks my heart.

What amazes me is that they did it twice!!

People are just as capable of causing their own dangers without any wild animals present. Yesterday evening I witnessed a group pf about 8 young children all under 7 years old playing a game of throwing stones at one another. Their parents, grandparents, Aunts and Uncles were all present and not one of the adults told them to stop.

The kids were all bored stupid because the adults were all engrossed in drinking as much alcohol as they could, this "game" went on for about an hour and a half.

Isn't this the same as to any bad situations - 'oh it'l never happen to me'

Elegran A recent story in the media from east Africa where a park rangers three year old son was dragged into the bush by, I believe' a leopard? It appears the rangers house and garden was not fenced off. The scene was witnessed by the child's father who was unable to do anything about it.

Years ago at Longleat my DH wanted to take a pic of a large, battle scarred male lion so he wound down the electric window on my side of the car. We were about 10 yards from this beast which luckily was too lazy to move. I told DH a divorce would be easier (if not cheaper).

On an off road 'experience' at the nearby West Midlands Safari Park, the ranger told us they were once called out to deal with a family who had got out of their car and set up a picnic in the lion enclosure..... beyond belief!

Chilling footage.