by LauraLoo
Even with non-breakable/penetratable glass, there is no way I would have left my child within inches of this very hungry-looking lion.
That may seem like an overreaction, but because of the lion’s intent, it made me feel very uncomfortable. Your thoughts?
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Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
My choice is to not support abortion, except in cases of a clear-cut choice between the lives of the mother and child.
A child conceived through incest or rape is innocent and deserves the right to be born.
~ Film critic Roger Ebert, “How I am a Roman Catholic,” March 1, written a little over a month before he passed away on April 4
Comments (3)
That doesn’t bother me. First, because the glass IS unbreakable. The fact that the lion was pawing at the glass doesn’t put viewers in any more danger than if the lion was just sitting there. I doubt that the lion was terribly hungry anyway–she lives in a zoo for Pete’s sake.
I think that staging this was totally inappropriate on the mother’s part and her constant laughter during the taping of this was downright creepy. I think there is a generational thing going on. I cannot imagine as a young mother (yes my children are now grown ups so I guess that makes me old) ever doing such a silly thing at the zoo. Jamie, I am curious how what age range are you?
Nothing is unbreakable. I would’ve grabbed the kid and got my butt out of there. No treats for this lion. The video will make me think twice before going to a zoo again. Who knows when and if the lion had been fed. Zoo keepers can mess up, and forget to feed the animals. What got me was how tense the lion’s muscles became.
ProliferL, I’m 42 years old and I have five children. We are frequent zoo-goers. I’ve never staged a video such as this. But again–those animals are wild, everyday, all the time. I don’t see the special danger here.
I saw this on-line somewhere else, and it gave me CHILLS how the lioness seemed to be trying her best to get ahold of that baby! I don’t think it was “cute” of the mother to do this OR film it.
I’m with Jamie. If the lion is dangerous and if there is a reasonable chance of it getting out of the cage, then going to the zoo at all is irresponsible and reckless, even if you stand all the way back on the far wall of the room from the glass. If there is no such chance, then it doesn’t matter how close or far you get. The kid wasn’t traumatized or hurt or in any danger at any point.
I too found it horrible that someone was laughing while this was going on. I once took my grandson to a zoo, and a cougar kept pacing along the fence eyeing him up. I got away from there as fast as possible. The prospect of a small child being mauled because something failed is too terrible to imagine.
I don’t think I would have THOUGHT very much in the moment about the glass. I just think simple protective instinct would have made me move my baby. Maybe it’s unreasonable to think the glass will break. But, our gut compels us to act for the safety of our children.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/weird/NATL-Dead-Baby-Pills-Prompt-Customs-Crackdown-in-Korea-150402435.html
Yuck Yuck Yuck
Thanks for answering my question Jamie. Took my kids to the zoos too and had lots of fun, never would consider laughing my head off while my baby is sitting on the floor of the zoo (where thousands of people dirty shoes have tread) right in front of a wild animal (the reaction of the lioness is quite normal btw), videotaping it and posting on the internet. May not be so much dangerous but it is still creepy, especially the laughter. That’s ok won’t belabor the point anymore.
Thanks Tyler, Pamela, Julie and Emily for your post.
I think Jill posted this “what were you thinking ” moment as a concerned parent and grandparent.
I too found the video a little odd. I was just addressing the level of danger in that situation, which I don’t think was increased over the usual zoo experience.
The baby was safe, but just because something is safe doesn’t mean you should do it!!
It was cruel to the lioness, teasing a wild animal in the wild is dangerous, teasing a wild captive anamalwill make it unhappy and may well make her more dangerous for the handlers.
Why can’t everyone see that it doesn’t matter that there was virtually no danger? This mother was laughing at the possible idea of the tragic death of her child.
This is no different than Sarah Silverman tweeting about the possible idea of her having an abortion.
Only those steeped in or oblivious to being influenced by the Culture of Death could find this a harmless “family” video.
So Hans, Culture of Death is a proper noun now.
“This mother was laughing at the possible idea of the tragic death of her child.”
You can read her mind through the video? What if she was laughing because the lion looked so silly trying to get through the glass?
FWIW, I found the video disturbing and my gut instinct would be to snatch up that baby and get it out of there. But I’ve also been that close to a Siberian Tiger through glass and thought it was amazingly cool. (My children were with me too.) Sorry, but I don’t think you can make the assumption that the mother is influenced by the culture of death based on this video.
JDC,
No, it’s a quite improper one.
Well, lrning, perhaps I have something to learn, but I do think that mother was laughing in the Face of Death. And I don’t think her child was the proper bait for such taunting.
You all are concerned about a lion behind thick glass. I’m more concerned that the baby is sitting on the PUBLIC floor at the zoo. BLECH. I hope she washed his hands really well after that. That baby is in more danger from the bacteria and fecal matter on a public floor than he is from a lion behind thick glass at the zoo.
Sydney M. I already pointed out that the baby sitting on the dirty zoo floor was totally inappropriate but you are correct that the bacteria from the floor is more likely to be dangerous in this particular situation. As a healthcare worker the possibllities of infections to this precious baby are numerous so that is a definate YUCK and BLECH . God bless this poor baby and keep him/her safe in spite of this mother. One of my children always says to me when I talk about people should have common sense “Mom you give people too much credit.” Nough said.
I thought the mom was laughing at how the kid was completely oblivious to the giant lion right behind him, plus the lion looked a little silly as it pawed at the glass. I’ve been to enough zoos that the glass breaking or the lion finding someway to get through wouldn’t be my first thought, so I probably would have been like the mom and laughed a little, though I probably would have picked the kid up, just because I’ve also been told enough times not to taunt the animals at zoos. As for taking a video, I don’t think it has anything to do with culture of death, and is just a sign of the increasing presence of technology in our lives. I’ll see something I think is funny or interesting, and sometimes think oh, I have a smartphone now, I could take a picture or video and put in on my facebook.
How dreadful and sad. I never would have put my baby on the floor (yuck!!) to begin with, but certainly wouldn’t have put him right in front of a wild animal, glass or no glass. My instinct watching this video was to grab him up and take him out of there. I’m shocked he wasn’t crying. Watching a lioness with her jaws wide open trying to eat my son would NOT make me laugh, it would make me want to scream. This mother sounds exceptionally immature.