Big kitty swimtime...

[emad]

Zoologist swims with lioness to escape heat of South Africa

A zoologist keen to cool off in the South African heat was joined by an unlikely swimming partner - a giant lioness.

Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson raises and interacts some of the most dangerous animals known to man.

With his unusual methods, he has developed some exceptionally personal bonds with his students, playing, sleeping and even swimming with animals. Taking a well deserved swim in the Crocodile River, just south of the Magaliesburg mountains, Mr Richardson, 34, was joined by Meg the lioness.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4977904/Zoologist-swims-with-lioness-to-escape-heat-of-South-Africa.html

[Lost in CT]

1. You know Florida just outlawed this.... nt

[Bertha Venation]

2. that cat almost has thumbs - look at those dewclaws!

:scared:

[Flaxbee]

3. ... this gets to me more than anything: "... in the Crocodile River"

Swimming with lions, fine. I'm sure he knows them relatively well. But Crocodile River? I'd NEVER EVER go anywhere near that river! Crocs and alligators scare me to pieces - they're like 21st century compact dinosaurs, all teeth. No f*cking way.

Lions of course are nothing to mess around with, but crocs? Wouldn't even consider it.

Now, I realize "Crocodile River" is just the name of the river, but I imagine it got its name because of its occupants.

[Lethe]

15. or the hippos

i think they kill more people than crocs

they are hungry, you know.

[Shell Beau]

27. Hippos don't play! They are vicious. And a croc will not attempt

to mess with a full grown hippo. Because it will get its ass handed back to it on a silver platter.

[Flaxbee]

32. no kidding!

Full grown hippos are a sight to behold, and having seen footage of a pissed off hippo, man, I'd stay away, too.

Seems to me that even a full-sized croc wouldn't be able to get its jaws around a hippo's leg. Bulk can be quite a deterrent.

[Shell Beau]

34. When Discovery used to do the Animal Face-Off, and

they put a hippo against a croc. The hippo whooped its butt. They can snap a croc in half. :o

[Flaxbee]

30. true, that. But somehow they don't look as scary as

crocs. Hippos look huggable (though I know they are extremely dangerous) but crocs - shit. Something about them just hits my 'primal, irrational fear' button. I don't want them turned into handbags, I just want to live where they don't.

[Lethe]

33. no, they are hungry hungry

[tigereye]

4. sounds like he's "joined the pride"

that's interesting!

[Arugula Latte]

5. What a stunningly gorgeous creature. Still, that guy is playing with fire. nt

[applegrove]

6. She's HUGE!

[rurallib]

10. Ever see a liger (lion/tiger cross). Man are those things big!

google it if you've never seen one

[applegrove]

11. I've seen a tiger at the zoo. Those things are even bigger than linonesses.

I love all cats.

[hedgehog]

7. He's an "expert on animal behavior" until the day that lioness takes out his throat!

[elshiva]

8. I am worried for the guy.

Two words: Steve Irwin :scared:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Not to mention Roy Horn.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. I first thought of the Grizzly guy. :^( A little different situation, but still.

[Muttocracy]

12. hmm, it works until... it doesn't. nt

[Arugula Latte]

23. Yep, just like the guy who went to live peacefully amongst the grizzlies

and was eaten.

[riverdeep]

13. Possibly a future Darwin award winner.

Ah well, no one lives forever and if that's really what you want to do, the risks may be worth it to him.

[TZ]

14. Makes me think of that Grizzly bear guy who lived with the bears..

Until one killed him...

[Lethe]

16. ya, that's what i thought of

i like bears though, they are kind of like an FU to the human race

stronger, faster, more agile, sit on their ass all day, sleep all winter, steal their food from humans

and they say humans are smarter...... :D

[riverdeep]

18. To be fair to this guy though,

it says he raises them as to opposed to interacting with animals that are totally wild and not used to human contact at all, which is what the Grizzly Man did. Totally wild animals are much more likely to take you out than ones that were raised with human contact.

For example, Christian the lion, who was rescued from a store in England, raised there, and got too much of a handful and so was taken to Africa and released. Later, the people who raised him visited him in the wild and the following video shows the reunion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCjyWp3rEk&NR=1

[no name no slogan]

19. Buncha stinky hippies

:hide:

[TZ]

20. Nice Post, Lieberman!

:rofl:

[Lethe]

22. well that was nice

Christian obviously recognized his former friends

[no name no slogan]

24. ...and they were delicious.

:9

[Lethe]

25. i'm sure you're delicious

with some Stubb's marinade and a side of sauteed asparagus

[no name no slogan]

26. 20 years ago, maybe

But these days I'm old and stringy. And gamey. Can't forget gamey.

[Lethe]

29. that's why i included the Stubb's marinade

:hi:

[no name no slogan]

36. Way to think ahead

:rofl:

[Shell Beau]

28. Not that I disagree at all because I don't, but that man never

really had any relationships with the bears. In his mind he did, but he was never able to get up close and personal with the grizzlies.

[no name no slogan]

17. I'm more partial to these trainers swimming with tigers

http://www.celebitchy.com/16949/animal_trainers_in_bikinis_swim_with_tigers/

[BikeWriter]

21. I'd do that.

[snooper2]

35. Caption

"What you looking at? He's MY bitch!" :rofl:

[Schema Thing]

37. The mans entire body is clasped firmly by that huge wet pussy!