He Only Wanted To Pet It

[pastafreak]

But the feeling wasn't mutual 🤔😉

Almost qualified for a Darwin Award

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13028771/animal-lover-tried-pet-turns-stag.html#reader-comments

[Chipchopper]

Wozzock of the glen ?

[Redhelen72]

the moron deserves everything he gets - lets hope the stag is OK

[nicebloke1]

Staggering photo. OK I'm off. :0))))

[andy-hughes]

Redhelen  - To be fair, he (the man) was probably trying to be friendly, shame the stag didn't feel the same way!!

[Redhelen72]

its a wild animal!!

would he try that with a lion?

[nicebloke1]

Would he try that with a lion? I don't think a lion would give him time to even think about it.

[andy-hughes]

Redhelen  - It's down to anthropomorphising again. 

We all know that lions are big dangerous animals.

But in theory, deer are not - all big sad eyes and soft velvet muzzles, think Bambi.

But this wasn't Bambi, it was Bambi's dad, something else entirely!

Same with seals. Just look at them with their sleek fur, cute whiskers, and those huge loving eyes.

Try to pet one, you'd lose your fingers!

[wolf63]

Andy, I get your point.  But pound for pound your average pussy cat is just as dangerous as a lion.  Most cats are sweet looking.

 

[Redhelen72]

He is still a moron!

[pastafreak]

Maybe he couldn't read. There are signs everywhere warning people not to get close.

Or...he thought it didn't apply to him. Not uncommon  🤔😮

[wolf63]

Most Darwin Awards are male - 88.7%.

[nicebloke1]

Last year at Christmas time my local Asda had the normal santa within the entrance to the store collecting funds, and they also had 3 deer within a low fenced off area, so the kids could pet them. Yes, I'm sure these are hand reared but to a certain extent its giving a wrong message out to some people.

 

[andy-hughes]

Nicebloke - There is a world of difference between domesticated small deer used to people, and a full-grown wild stag with territory and females to fight for.

[nicebloke1]

I thought I had made that clear in my post AH? 

[Canary42]

nicebloke makes a very good point - in setting up "petting" facilities we are certainly encouraging the wrong attitude to wild animals. And you can't ask the animal first which category it's in.

Circumstances have to be taken into account as well - an animal normally frightened of humans will cast aside that fear if defending its young.

[andy-hughes]

I'm not sure that petting zoos give off the 'wrong message' as such.

If I see a lion cub in the zoo, I know I am protected.

If I see an adult lion on safari,  I am not protected. 

You only need to be an averagely intelligent adult to know the difference. 

I have taken my children and grandchildren to petting zoos.

That does not give me the message that it's ok to touch a fully grown wild animal of any breed.

So no, I don't agree that there is a 'mixed message' offered by petting zoos.

[nicebloke1]

There are many adults who don't meet average intelligents, obviously this is one, but we can't penalize the majority because of one thick head.

I do wonder how he was allowed to get so close. I have a deer park near me and you can only view at a distance, there are 300 / 400 yard markers and you are watched that you don't cross such. The viewing can only be done also at feeding times. The idea of the latter is that they are also pre- occupied with eating.