A seemingly hungry lion puts on a show for tourists in Windhoek, Namibia. In the 1960s, when most African nature reserves were under construction, lions were born in the wild and free. Today’s independence isn’t necessarily in their favor, however. Many parks in Africa do not take adequate safety measures to keep lions.
Giant cats have become a problem, and not because of any inappropriate behavior from them. The problem is that few African countries can afford to invest adequately in park maintenance. Some parks in the country allow visitors to feed lions. Yes, you read that right.
A video uploaded by the Youtube channel “JMB2” shows how scary things can get when you feed these huge animals. With nearly 14 million views, it’s safe to say we’re not the only ones stunned by the clip.
Filmed on December 25, 2012, the footage begins with a lion walking backwards in slow motion. Within seconds, the top predator is leaping straight into the air to catch the delicacy. African lions can leap 36 feet laterally and 12 feet vertically.
Despite their weight, they possess strong and efficient leg muscles that allow them to jump long distances and climb trees with ease. The ability to jump high is an important quality for lions, as lunging on prey is their primary hunting strategy.
After the first snack, the lion in the video came back for more. This time, the footage is live, and you can clearly see how fragile the fence is. One comment read: “Never seen a lion jump that high. If he jumped that fence, the footage probably wouldn’t exist.” While another said, “That fence doesn’t look like it could Block a chicken.”
The big, beautiful cat started pawing the floor like a house cat in a litter box. He was upset they stopped giving him food. You can clearly see his ribs, making us think this lion is hungry.
He rushed towards the fence, causing a commotion among tourists. The big cat paces and continues to paw the ground. He could slip under a fence and out into public view with little effort. Finally, they throw another piece of meat into the pen. Once again he leaps to impressive heights and catches the sip effortlessly.
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
