Because it seems as though this guy went to a lot of trouble to get it done…
Zookeepers shoot man with tranquiliser while trying to save him from lions
I’m sure everyone was very appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of the adventure…
A man who climbed into a lion enclosure, stripped naked and taunted them into attacking him was shot with a tranquiliser dart by zookeepers trying to save him from a near-fatal mauling.
Visitors to Santiago’s Metropolitan Zoo in Chile watched aghast as staff eventually shot and killed two of the lions with live ammunition. The man had been carrying what appeared to be a suicide note, authorities said.
I gather from context that the dart was meant for one of the cats, but nobody would hold still…
The part about a guy stripping naked and committing suicide by zoo lion, believe it or not, isn’t the stupidest part of the story. That’s just crazy. This is the stupidest part…
Chilean social media exploded with a firestorm of criticism against zoo authorities: reactions ranged from calls to boycott all zoos, to questions about the use of deadly force.
uh…huh?
Granted that it wasn’t the lions’ fault, what the hell else were the zoo guys supposed to do?
I think the zoo employees should have let the lions eat the idiot.
@kent: Yeah, that was my first thought. Later read a comment that once they’ve gotten the idea in their heads that long pig is good eatin’, they’re more dangerous to the zookeepers. Don’t know whether that’s true, but I wouldn’t have shot them to save the idiot. It would’ve been a kindness to shoot the idiot.
Ah social media… Never underestimate the power of people to vent on subjects they know nothing about.
Darting a moving animal is never easy. With the high stress of the situation (supervisor screaming “Take the shot, take the shot!”) plus the fact that dart guns don’t have rifling and are very inaccurate I’m not surprised the guy got darted first.
I’m actually surprised that they chose to try and dart the lion in the first place. One thing that a majority of people don’t understand about tranquilizer darts is the time factor. The vet has to figure out the correct dosage (too much animal dies, too little no effect) and IF the animal is hit it takes time for the tranquilizer to take effect. Meanwhile the guy is being used as a chew toy.