“Can you imagine how happy you have to be when you see a live animal prancing around your pen after years of raw chickens? Has to be the equivalent of us seeing a filet mignon after a steady diet of fast food.”
LOL...that’s exactly how I felt when I read the story. What a tremendous, exciting break from a dull, monotonous life in the zoo. Real, live game! The hunt!
Then those cold, heartless zookeepers spoil all the fun. Worse, they wasted a veterinarian’s time on the deer. We are so overrun by those large rats that we could use a big pride of lions to get them under control. Of course, when the deer food supply runs out, those lions may get other ideas.
Already little pets that escape are usually never seen again because we are also overrun by coyotes, bobcats, and cougar. The bears are headed our way, too, but it may be just a bit too noisy for them. Fortunately, the moose don’t eat pets. But they are ornery and will stomp you to death. Just like the bucks during the rut. Life is brutal.
Just turn them lose to exercise their predation on the vermin walking the streets in DC.
I have done a little bit of missions work in Africa...
There is a MUCH different relationship and perception of the animals there than here.
Elephants? Hated. Think of how irritated you get with the rabbits and gophers in your garden. Now... extrapolate that into a 2 TON rabbit AND IT’S FAMILY chowing down on YOUR food.
Lions? Loved and hated. Loved for the tourist dollars, hated for the every now and then old male or female too sick to hunt an animal, but gets a child before it is put down.
Story is kind of the same with rhinos and hippos. Leopards though are nearly revered as amazing hunters that leave people and their animals alone... except for an occasional goat, which seems to be tolerated. I suspected that was for religious reasons.