This little guy was at a zoo in New Zealand. He and his brother were in a large, totally enclosed area along with a handler. Visitors could go in and hang out, petting them, etc. It was AMAZING.
I added a picture above. That is my hand holding the paw.
I asked the handler what this type of human contact did to their "lion-ness." He said even though he raised them, and they knew him and their names, they were still lions. The day came when he could no longer be in with them. When they were adults, they were released into the wild.
In South Africa we've got game parks where you can actually hold the kittens when they are tiny... jeez, did I say kittens? Cubs! But even so as those lion(esse)s grow they become vicious. Even killed the owner of one of the Lion Park a couple of years ago... On facebook there's a beautiful video of a full grown lion hugging, yes hugging, a woman through bars of a cage. Really heartwarming. This is the link if you want to check it out (hope it works) http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=430598599645
Oh I would so love to hold one of those tiny guys! My daughter held a baby leopard once when she was ten....in a mall, to have her photo taken. Sigh. They are such lovely little critters........
While I am the very definition of an amateur photographer, it is something I enjoy doing. Attribute it, perhaps, to a manifestation of early mental miasma. There are so many little bits of life -- characters, colors, composition, vignettes, snippets of conversation, sightings both natural and otherwise -- that delight me. I don't want to lose them in that miasma, so I try to capture them in one way or another. The camera has a long memory.
Cute!
ReplyDeleteI just want to reach out and pet this little guy... so perfectly touchable, so contemplative.
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki
ReplyDeleteComfort Spiral
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I love!
ReplyDeleteJamie -
This little guy was at a zoo in New Zealand. He and his brother were in a large, totally enclosed area along with a handler. Visitors could go in and hang out, petting them, etc. It was AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteI added a picture above. That is my hand holding the paw.
I asked the handler what this type of human contact did to their "lion-ness." He said even though he raised them, and they knew him and their names, they were still lions. The day came when he could no longer be in with them. When they were adults, they were released into the wild.
Look at how big his paw is already. What a wonderful adventure, Patti. Thanks for posting the darling photos.
ReplyDeleteIn South Africa we've got game parks where you can actually hold the kittens when they are tiny... jeez, did I say kittens? Cubs! But even so as those lion(esse)s grow they become vicious. Even killed the owner of one of the Lion Park a couple of years ago... On facebook there's a beautiful video of a full grown lion hugging, yes hugging, a woman through bars of a cage. Really heartwarming. This is the link if you want to check it out (hope it works) http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=430598599645
ReplyDeleteOh I would so love to hold one of those tiny guys! My daughter held a baby leopard once when she was ten....in a mall, to have her photo taken. Sigh. They are such lovely little critters........
ReplyDelete