When animals do what comes naturally

July 7, 2001 1:14 PM

When animals do what comes naturally...Buffalo. Bull. Shark. Wow. Busy couple of days for out-of-the-ordinary "man - vs - animal" incidents. Anyone have interesting animal tales to tell, whether they resulted in injury or not? My rule of thumb: if an animal has teeth that are bigger than mine, get outta there!
...but please no "my cat hates you" threads in here!
posted by davidmsc (19 comments total)

my rat nipped me yesterday. that little jerk.
posted by jcterminal at 1:48 PM on July 7, 2001

some moron kid in elementary school here in wyoming was at recess one day and saw a moose cow with a calf just off school property.

so he tried to pet it.

got stomped on, of course. she broke his arm before teachers frightened her away and grabbed the kid.

other than that...um...my cat bites me all the time. does that count?
posted by lunarennui at 2:07 PM on July 7, 2001

best homer voice:

"The bees bit my bottom! Now my bottom's big..."
posted by o2b at 2:15 PM on July 7, 2001

I would love to seem some video of the kids uncle wrestling the shark to shore. That is motivation !!
What a story to tell forever. For both of them.

Kid: Shark bit my arm off.....No shit
Uncle: The time I wrestled a shark for my nephews arm...

God that is priceless
posted by a3matrix at 2:44 PM on July 7, 2001

I love the fact that our society turns any wild animal defending themselves from idiots, encroachment or doing what they would normally do in the wild (eating easy prey) into When Animals Attack!!! infotainment.

Wild animals are exactly that. Wild.

Life in the wilds is not a Disney movie.

Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone.
posted by dr. zoidberg at 2:54 PM on July 7, 2001

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the running of the bulls in Pamplona is proof that natural selection still works!

Stupidity still seems to find it's own level.
posted by dr. zoidberg at 2:58 PM on July 7, 2001

Whats wrong with infotainment? Ok lots. At least this form shows you exactly what Zippy the elephant has to go through to jump through hoops and why its not surprising that she trampled her trainer after years of animal abuse that we call "training." Also these shows lean towards the cautious and educational, giving some simple advice to anyone who's might find themselves in that situation.
posted by skallas at 3:29 PM on July 7, 2001

Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone.

Bullshit. I was just sitting here minding my own business and a mosquito bit me.
posted by rodii at 5:26 PM on July 7, 2001

I also have been chased by a baboon and a moose (not on the same day) and once a monkey stole my sister-in-law's sunglasses. Damn you, monkey!
posted by rodii at 5:27 PM on July 7, 2001

Metafilter: Damn you, monkey!
posted by norm at 7:38 PM on July 7, 2001

man vs. animal stories are a leading indicator of slow news days
posted by jrbender at 8:05 PM on July 7, 2001

<!--Mind you, moose bites can be pretti nasti-->
posted by Aaaugh! at 8:42 PM on July 7, 2001

Don't pee in the water.
posted by bilco at 9:52 PM on July 7, 2001

Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone.

I wonder what that 8-year-old boy was doing to tease and aggrevate that bull shark.
posted by JParker at 11:24 PM on July 7, 2001

Well, the Atlantic isn't exactly the natural habitat of 8 year olds, is it?
posted by owillis at 11:45 PM on July 7, 2001

So we should just stay out of the ocean, because it's not our "natural" habitat? By that reasoning we should stay out of the mountains, too, so we don't disturb the mountain goats. And the deserts are off limits, and the jungles, and the rainforests.... In fact, we should all go back to the "fertile crescent" where we "belong". That's a specious line of reasoning. I, for one, don't want to find a cave and hide. We are, by nature, explorers. Going out into the big, wide world has risks, even for innocent 8-year-olds. The idea that people who get attacked by wild animals must have done something to provoke them is just plain wrong. It's an unfortunate accident, but I am glad for the boy that he had such a brave and determined uncle -- that's one of the most amazing stories I've seen!
posted by JParker at 3:47 PM on July 8, 2001

Hey, what about my mosquito story!? I mean, the bloodthirsty thing just attacked me.
posted by rodii at 3:54 PM on July 8, 2001

I'm sorry, rodii. I feel your pain. :-D
posted by davidmsc at 5:01 PM on July 8, 2001

I, for one, don't want to find a cave and hide
Me too. I was just providing a snark-filled answer to your query.

rodii: g-damn mosquitoes, let's outlaw 'em! :)
posted by owillis at 5:29 PM on July 8, 2001