A Michael Broad Blog
NEWS AND COMMENTS-SOUTH AFRICA: A big cat keeper has been killed by a Siberian tiger at a wildlife park in South Africa. The Siberian tiger, Jasper, also killed another Siberian tiger and his objective was to be with a female. An electric fence had been switched off for repair. Jasper was able, therefore, to …
A lioness, Vega, savagely mauls a trainer inside a small circus enclosure. The trainer, Maxim Orlov, struggles to get rid of the attacking lioness. He must have been hurt on his legs although he gets up each time. Fortunately, he was not bitten around his head. The second lioness joins in. It looks really …
Italian archaeologists have unearthed the bones of nine Neanderthals from a hyena den about 100 km south-east of Rome. They think that the hyena den might have been the home of Neanderthals before it was taken over by hyenas. It got me thinking about other predators at that time who fed upon Neanderthals and …
The major reason why lions living in the wild attack humans is because they are injured or elderly and infirm and as a consequence incapable of surviving in the conventional way by preying on large animals. Lions attack zookeepers in their cages sometimes and this is due to a natural predatory instinct probably enhanced …
Background “Black panthers” normally refers to melanistic leopards. These are leopards that are born black (dark charcoal) because of a genetic mutation. They are called melanistic leopards. I’m referring to the common leopard. Although the term “black panther” can also refer to other big cats black pumas or jaguars. The black jaguar is frequently …
The title really should read “suicide by big cat”. I’ve chosen the tiger because this is the big cat chosen most often by men (yes, it appears always to be men) who want to end their life by jumping into a tiger enclosure at a zoo. On the face of it, it is a …
This is another story of a zookeeper being attacked by a lion or lions and suffering severe injuries. In this instance it took place at Shoalhaven Zoo in New South Wales, Australia. Jennifer Brown, 35, was cleaning the lions’ cage when they attacked her. She is in a serious condition in hospital. An investigation …
This is Mumbai, India where they have a compact nature reserve very near or inside the city. There are leopards inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. I am guessing but it seems likely that the leopard in the video wandered out of the reserve into someone’s home looking for food. I seems remarkable and …
